Above and Beyond a Monster and Love
by BloodPokemon101
Summary: Sakura dies protecting Naruto and gets reincarnated into the world of Monster. Soon she finds out that this world has a dark, twisted secret lurking about. Just one problem, there's no chakra! One man believes all lives are equal, and another only believes humans are only equal in death. What's Sakura do but to never go back on her word! Except that's something Naruto would say.
1. Isana Blum

**(A/N: This is a Monster/Naruto crossover fanfiction. Well, more like, Sakura dies during the Fourth Great Ninja War and gets reincarnated into the world of Monster. Ever since I finished Monster, which wasn't that long ago, I wanted to do a Naruto/Monster fanfic. The world of Monster is very complex. This is a slow burner, so don't expect very fast updates. Enjoy! Rated M because…this is Monster and there may be some sexual content later. I don't own Naruto or Monster! And by the way, Johan is the best villain ever!**

 **Now beta'd by AwesomeA909!)**

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Isana Blum

 _I can't remember what happened. All I know was that I felt a burning pain in my lower abdomen and then blacked out, not before hearing a desperate male voice shouting, "Don't die, Sakura!"_

 _I'm sorry, Naruto. Team Seven's happy reunion… Looks like I won't be able to see it._

* * *

Sounds…

Sounds were everywhere…

She could hear a woman's laughter and a man's joy.

She tried to open her eyes, but they stayed shut, her eyelids feeling heavy. Finally, she managed to force her eyes open to see a woman with dark blonde hair and green eyes and a man with brown hair and matching brown eyes hovering over her with tearful, happy smiles.

"Hello," the woman finally spoke. "Isana."

* * *

Once her daughter, Isana, turned one, her mother, Carla, noticed some oddities about her. For one, there was the matter of her physical appearance. It wasn't much worth being worried over. As soon as her hair started to grow, it was brown just like her father's, but in the past few weeks a light hue of pink began to fester into the brown coloring. Another feature was her slightly larger than average forehead.

Other than that, she _looked_ like a completely normal, one-year-old baby girl. She had the same green eyes as her mother's along with her facial features combined with her father's buttoned down nose and the curve of her lips looks almost like her father's when she smiles.

However, the key words were she _looked like_ a normal child.

The way Isana looks around, watching the world, didn't seem like that of childish curiosity, but of a calm and analytical observer, as if she's processing new information into her tiny brain.

Isana was a very quiet child. She rarely cried. Not even the time when she tripped over a pile of books she left on the floor as she was reviewing the pressure points of the human body and broke her glass cup, spilling water and glass all over the floor. Carla winced at the deafening noise, instantly expecting a loud wail soon to follow from her daughter's bedroom.

However, not a sound whistled from her baby's room. Not even a peep or a sniffle of someone struggling not to cry.

Forgetting the shards of glass on the floor, Carla rushed up Isana's room, thinking that something may be wrong with her daughter. To her surprise, she saw her daughter calmly staring up at her, not even the least bit bothered by the loud clash from before.

Carla knew that she was supposed to feel relieved, but what overcame her was the feeling of anxiety. Any ordinary baby would be screaming their lungs out by the earsplitting clash of fallen glass. Was her baby not normal? She wondered if she had some sort of defect. Carla needed to find time to make an appointment to a doctor.

A few months went by after that, and Isana finally began to talk.

Hearing Isana call her 'mommy' for the first time made Carla's eyes swell up with joyous tears. What is there to be expected of a new mother being called 'mom' for the first time?

Conversely, there was one word that confused her once her baby started speaking.

"Shannaro!"

Carla turned to see her daughter pushing a plate of baby spinach away with her face scrunched up in disgust.

Shannaro, that was a word her baby started to say to express frustration, annoyance, or excitement over something she likes or dislikes. The doctor explained once that it may be a verbal tic. It wasn't uncommon for some children to have them.

Isana first shouted that word out when she met her uncle for the first time, pushing him away when he picked her up, obviously repulsed by the smell of cigarette smoke exhaling from his mouth.

The word, however, didn't sound German at all. If she had put a finger on the language, it sounded Japanese more than anything else. But she couldn't be sure. It was only a verbal tic, it could be anything, possibly even a made up language that Isana created.

The last oddity about her daughter was that once she turned three, a violet rhombus began to take form on the middle of her forehead. Now this concerned Carla most of all. What was that marking? She prayed to god that it wasn't anything serious. That it was merely a large birthmark and nothing more.

All these abnormal quirks of her daughter bothered Carla. Fortunately, her doctor informed her that all this…weirdness, for lack of better words, surrounding her daughter was nothing to fret over. She was a perfectly, healthy baby girl.

Carla just prayed that her school life wouldn't bring more anomalies to her daughter's behavior.

* * *

 **(A/N: That's it! The end of the first chapter. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this. The vague concept of an idea. But let's be honest, I don't know where I'm going with most of my stories. I just have the main plot done and just 'go with the flow' for most of my writing. Of course, I do go back and edit and revise plot points. Anyway, I don't know how involved Sakura, or should I say,** **Isana would be in the Johan case. All I can say is that she encourages Doctor Tenma to operate on Johan. But other than that, I've got nothing. Not that I don't have an idea. It's just that if she should and how far would she go?** **This is just...a preview of sorts, and to see what do you guys think of the concept and if I should keep going.**

 **By the way, what would you guys think of a Isana [Sakura]/Johan pairing? Yes, I know that this is nearly impossible, but I'm not trying pull off a flowery and romantic pairing. It's going to be dark and twisted like the psychologically damaging way Monster, most notably, Johan is to his victims and acquaintances.**

 **Ideas, requests, criticism, reviews, let me hear them! And thank you for reading!)**


	2. Strange Life

**(A/N: Here's chapter two. It's mainly a short summarize history of Isana's early school life. Enjoy! This chapter has now been edited. It's a deeper insight into this story.**

 **Beta'd by Awesome909!)**

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Strange Life

When Isana finally became aware of her surroundings, she was as happy as any child would be. She had a caring mother and a doting father. She was quiet compared to most babies her age, but she was also a little bit aware of the fact. However, to her, it wasn't such a big deal.

As soon as she began talking, her mom started teaching her the ABC's. For some unexplained reason, this baby's step of learning the alphabet started to annoy her. She couldn't put a finger on why though. It just did.

After her third birthday was when things took an astonishing turn in her life. As the violet rhombus formed on her forehead, weird images and visions began pouring inside her mind. She often times wondered if they were merely strange hallucinations.

Come on! A man with a strange hair color and people using magic and walking on water can't be real!

However, as much as Isana wanted to deny it, these fantasies felt so real, she could practically feel them, touch them, smell them, taste them.

It was after she turned four that Isana realized that she was…different.

Sakura Haruno… She was Sakura Haruno. At least, she used to be called Sakura Haruno. Now, she's Isana Blum.

But she knew in a past life… She knew she was someone special. She was Sakura Haruno, kunoichi of Konoha and former student of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju. Nevertheless, she died protecting Naruto from Madara, and here she was, reborn as a German girl named Isana Blum.

When Isana first regained her memory, she had to resist the urge to scream as a burning feeling punctured through her lower abdomen.

Once, she recovered all her memories though, Isana instantly realized how different this world was compared to her old one.

First off, there was no chakra! How was that possible?! The world revolves around chakra! It was the life force of all living things…! Or at least, it used to be.

Isana didn't know what to think of a world without chakra. It made her feel…vulnerable. To her, chakra was everything one needed to survive, grow, learn, and get stronger. She felt weak and pathetic, almost reminding her of her uselessness during her genin days.

Without chakra, her skills as a medic-nin and her enhanced strength were gone with absolutely no chance to recover them. She was just…an ordinary girl. A helpless and defenseless one at that.

Isana is just going to have to substitute and get her strength back in another way. Even if she can't explode the ground into a pile of dust with one punch, she'll learn this world's taijutsu and adapt, learning some self-defensive techniques. She refuses to remain weak and vulnerable!

Another issue she had was the language. From what she could process in her five years of life thus far, there are four or five different languages and this land is called Germany. She was quite at awe that so many people speak different languages and still understand each other, some even speak two or three.

The language that her mother taught was called German. The concept seemed simple enough to learn, considering her age and it's supposed to be her mother tongue, but it still felt weird.

For starters, her voice sounded different, shriller and more high pitched than what's she's used to. It wasn't as soft as it was before. But perhaps, it's because she's still young. She hasn't hit puberty yet, after all.

Another thing that awed her was the use of these fascinating vehicles called cars, which people use as transportation on the daily basis. Their design and mechanics were quite impressive, but also unnecessary. A ninja can run just as faster, if not faster than these cars. However, Isana also had to remember that this is a world without chakra and people had to substitute somehow.

Her parents weren't that impressive either. Her father worked as a carpenter, so he was out working for most of the day and coming back home late at night. Her mother used to work as a waitress at a local restaurant, but had to take some time off to give birth and raise her. Although, she plans to start working again once she starts school in the Fall.

Speaking off school, when her mother tried dressing her in a pretty pink dress and a headband of the same color adorning her head, she tried to adjust her bangs so that it was hiding her diamond shaped tattoo.

"There," she'll say. "Now, you won't have to worry about getting teased at school." She glanced worriedly at her forehead, and Isana instantly knew what she was referring to. To be honest, it was kind of annoying the way her mother was fussing over her appearance.

That's why on her first day off to school, she readjusted her bangs, so that they were framing her face, her forehead standing out proudly. She thought fondly as this situation felt familiar, remembering Ino's words of encouragement and advice on how the more she tries to hide her embarrassingly, large forehead, the more she'll get teased about it. Now, it seems her mother had taken her old role and she's taken Ino's.

When the other kids took notice of her enormous forehead and abnormal hair color, there were whispers going around the room. An annoyed glare was enough to shut them up. Isana knows that it may be a bit over the top for a seventeen-year-old kunoichi turned five years old girl such as herself to be irritated at their childish behavior, but she'll be damned if she'd repeat her childhood of getting bullied by immature kids all over again.

It didn't help much that she spent her recesses isolating herself from other the children, who were running around playing tag or swinging on the swing set. She used this time to train by punching a nearby tree in the playground and doing a set amount of pushups and sit ups.

Isana remembered when her teacher had a conference with her and her mother, voicing her concern about her lack of social behavior towards the other kids and if asking she's showing any signs of aggression in the house because she seems to spend her time punching trees until her knuckles bled.

Her mother asked her if she's having any problems at school that she would like to discuss, while gazing anxiously at her forehead and hair. Isana instantly knew that her mom was implying if she was getting bullied by the other children because of her slightly abnormal features.

Isana wanted to say she that she desired to train, to become stronger as soon as possible, but she knew her mother wouldn't understand. Her life as a former kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village seems like nothing more than a dark fairytale dream.

Instead, in response, she simply offered her mom a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, mom, everything's fine."

It was that day, during second grade of school, that the boys actively tried to harass her, trying to make her scream and cry and feel bad about her appearance. Pulling on her hair, claiming how weird it is to have shades of pink in her hair, taunting her about if she wanted to dye her hair, at least make it a better color than pink they exclaimed. One even dared to poke her forehead, yelling out an all too familiar insult.

"Billboard brow!"

"What weirdo has a forehead as big as yours?"

"Why is there a diamond marking on your forehead?" He flicked her forehead harshly, sneering at her in a haughty manner. "You think you're cool or something?"

"Bubblegum girl!"

That was the new nickname the other children started teasing her with.

It was an okay insult as she'll beat the boys into a bloody pulp in retaliation.

"Yeah, keep on making fun of me if you don't mind me kicking your butt in return, shannaro! And for your information, this is my natural hair color!" She had to keep herself from spewing out profanities.

After that incident, Isana regained a new nickname, 'the Pink Tempered Strawberry'. She mused at how fitting the nickname was for her.

Her mother gave a big scolding about her beat down on the boys and sending a couple of them to the nurse's office, stating almost angrily that she must apologize to them when she sees them at school the next day, declaring that she was lucky that she only received a week's worth of detention. She warned her not to do it again, or else she'll be punished very severely.

Isana replied, quite snappily, that they shouldn't have made fun of her appearance. In response, her mother told her if she had hidden her odd features in the first place, the boys wouldn't have picked on her.

The girl was appalled that her mother would suggest such a thing. So even she found her daughter's appearance bizarre and creepy.

She quietly offered a simple sorry for talking back to her, hoping to drop the argument before it became any worse.

It annoyed her at how babied the kids of this world were compared to her old one. The children training to be ninjas were required to solve most of them problems themselves. Of course, their parents could offer words of assurance and encouragement, but never actively get involved in their problems, because if they couldn't handle a couple of bullies, there's no way they'll fend off enemy ninjas without wetting themselves first.

It was times like this that she was starting to miss Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Tsunade, Kakashi, and everyone else in Konoha. Man, she has never felt so homesick before!

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 **(A/N: That's the end of the second chapter. I just wanted to give a short insight of Isana's early childhood. I was going to combine this with the other chapter, but decided to make them separate. One showing Sakura's rebirth as Isana Blum, and the other showing her childhood days. As for the next chapter, I don't know whether to show more of Isana's childhood or get onto the main plot. All I know is that the fourth or fifth chapter is when Johan and his sister Anna/Nina shows up to get treated at the Eisler Memorial Hospital and Isana is a fifteen-year-old student intern at the time. So, going by age, Isana is about eighteen years younger than Dr. Tenma and five years older than Johan and Nina, or more accurately four years and ten months older than them.**

 **Reviews, questions, comments, criticisms… Let me know! I appreciate it!)**


	3. Restrictions

**(** **A/N: Here's chapter three! I've decided to go straight into the main plot. If I want to show more of Isana's childhood, I'll show it in flashbacks. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **RimK10: I knew someone was going to ask this question. Thanks for catching on! Yeah, I said there's no chakra in the world and I know it's confusing for Sakura/Isana to have a seal that stores chakra. But it's not storing chakra. It's more like transferring Sakura's old memories into Isana [her new body], nothing more. The meaning of reincarnation is a very vague concept. Everyone has their own ideas. The only thing that's clear is the 'same soul, different body' scenario. Other than that, everyone has their own ideas and concepts to go about it. That's why Isana has strands of pink in her brown hair and a rhombus marking on her forehead, symbols of her old life as Sakura Haruno. I hope this explanation answered your question.**

 **Beta'd by AwesomeA909!)**

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Restrictions

 _A princess, who captures the monster's heart, is locked away in a tower made from nothingness. The princess withers away until the only thing that remains are her memories of the monster._

* * *

A decade has past, and now Isana was now a fifteen-year-old attending a local high school. She has gotten use to life in this new world. It was a little frustrating at first to have overbearing parents, but she knew they cared for her very much. Knowing that she had such loving parents was enough for her to pull through, however, that didn't mean she doesn't miss all her friends in Konoha. Isana keeps telling herself that she needs to forget about her past as Sakura Haruno and move on, but it's easier said than done.

Isana quickly got dressed in a yellow button down shirt, black pants, and brown, low heeled sandals, also adorning a white doctor's coat that reached all the way down to her knees. She tied her long, pinkish-brown hair into two high pigtails using two pink ribbons and wore a matching headband with a red flower decorated on its right side.

"Isana," her father called for her from downstairs. "Are you ready yet?"

"Yes, dad!" Checking herself one more time, she rushed downstairs. Her father greeted her with a kind smile as he opened the door.

* * *

"You have been working as a student intern at the Eisler Memorial Hospital for a couple months now. How has it been? Anything interesting happening?"

Isana stared out the window of the car, watching as people went on with their daily lives. She has gotten used to this mundane lifestyle. It was quiet and peaceful. At least she didn't have to worry about ambushes from enemy ninjas.

Normally, parents ask their kids these types of questions after their first day of trying something new. However, her father has been too busy with work, so she understands his reasons for not asking earlier.

"Hmm, I wouldn't say that it's any different from any other hospital, except for it's political reputation as a very prestigious hospital," Isana finally answered. "I mainly have been shadowing a very talented neurosurgeon named Dr. Tenma."

"Oh!" Her father seemed genuinely surprised. "I heard about him. He saved one of my friends' life after a pipe fell on his head when he was working on a building construction. He's an excellent doctor!"

Isana hummed. "He would be an even better doctor, if he had the guts to stand up for himself."

The man tilted his head towards his daughter in a questioning manner. "Why's that?"

"Well, if he wasn't so submissive towards the Director for starters. He is nice and caring doctor, but he's too subservient for his own good. He's not going to get very far, if he's unwilling make his own decisions."

Her father chuckled. "Well, that's just how it is. The Director is his boss, so if he disobeys his boss's orders, he'll get fired and that'll leave a black mark on his record."

Isana huffed, trying to show off her frustration. "Well, that's just stupid. A person should not be a slave just because someone is in a higher class than them."

"That's just how the world works, sweetie," her father replied sympathetically. "Once you're older, you'll understand."

* * *

Her father dropped her off at the Eisler Memorial Hospital before driving off to work. She waved her dad goodbye as he drove off.

"Good morning!" Isana greeted the nurse at the counter.

The nurse looked up from her paperwork and greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, Isana. Doctor Tenma would be with you in just a moment, he's operating on a patient right now, a famous opera singer I believe."

"Alright, I'll wait here for him."

Isana took a seat in the lobby, picking up a magazine from a nearby table. As she was reading, she heard a woman crying a few feet away from her. She was never fond of seeing people cry. It's probably one of the reasons she aspires to be a doctor in the first place, to see others smile and laugh.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" she asked as politely as she could.

The woman glanced at her with tearful eyes, her lips were quivering as if she's ready to burst into tears any minute. The woman didn't say anything, but Isana instantly knew that someone close to her didn't make it.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," she spoke in a sincerely apologetic manner.

Her words caused the boy, the lady's son she presumed, to burst into tears. "Wahh! Daddy! Daddy!"

Seeing her son in such distraught caused the woman's barriers to collapse as she howled out in anguish and sadness at her husband's death.

Isana didn't speak at all as she rubbed the mother and son's backs as soothing and comforting as possible, trying to silently ease their pains.

It was few minutes later that Dr. Tenma walked out of the operating room. Isana gave an awkward bow to the distraught mother/son duo.

Dr. Tenma was a tall Japanese doctor. He was very kind and had a pleasant disposition. She heard that he moved to Germany from Japan a few years ago following a research paper he read from the Director that inspired him to come to this country in the first place. A couple of other doctors were commenting him on a successful operation on the opera singer.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the distressed woman scornfully glare at Dr. Tenma. He was obviously oblivious to her animosity though.

"Hello, Dr. Tenma," Isana greeted him.

When he took notice of her presence, he grinned at her. "Hello, Isana." He rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "Sorry, I'm done for the day. I don't have any more patients to attend to."

"That's okay," the young girl answered sweetly. "How about we get some coffee and you can tell me all about your day instead?"

Tenma seemed to contemplate this decision before he agreeing to her request.

* * *

They both found themselves at local pub nearby.

"I heard you performed surgery on an opera singer," Isana said, taking a sip of her coffee. "How did it go?"

Tenma zealously told her about the difficulties of the singer's case. Apparently, the singer had a hemorrhage in his brain, which, if not dealt with carefully, could have ruptured and caused a massive stroke.

It still fascinated her on how he was still able to operate on such a difficult case without the use of chakra whatsoever. Dr. Tenma was indeed a brilliant surgeon. Just imagine how good of a doctor he'd be in her old world.

"Why did you want to become a doctor?" Tenma asked politely.

Isana wanted to blurt that she already was a doctor, but held herself in check. "I always wanted to be a doctor since I was a child. When my school offered a programming for medical interns, I just had to take the chance. It'll progress my career as a doctor faster as I'll have firsthand experience in the medical field, and not just merely learning from tests and books."

"Well, do you find working as an intern at the hospital enjoyable?"

Before she could answer, a blonde woman in a fancy pink dress and high heels burst through the doors. Her blues eyes glancing around the room until they landed on the Japanese surgeon.

She approached their table, her hips swaying seductively with every movement, as she's expecting all eyes to be on her acting like she's an angel sent down to grace the place with her presence only.

The pinkish-brown haired teen couldn't help but inwardly sneer at the woman. Her name's Eva Heinemann. She acts like a high and mighty, pretentious bitch just because she's the daughter of the Director. Unfortunately, she's also Tenma's fiancée, so the girl had to show some kind respect for her, even how begrudging it is.

"Oh, there you are Kenzou," Eva greeted Tenma, blatantly ignoring the teenage girl sitting next to him. "I was looking all over for you. Did you forget about our date?" Her eyes turned to sneer at Isana. "You shouldn't waste your time on commoners."

Isana wasn't intimidated by her in the least. "I'm so sorry that someone as petty as you have to suffer the stigma of being seen with someone as generous and compassionate as me." She shrugged her shoulders. "But what do I know, right? I'm not the one being babied by a rich father."

The blonde woman's lips turned downward into a deep scowl. She looked about ready to burst into a hissy fit. Fortunately, Tenma, sensing the tension between the two women, stepped in.

"That's enough, Isana," he scolded his intern. The girl just huffed as she took a sip of her coffee. "I'm sorry for Isana's rudeness, Eva. Let's go somewhere else for dinner."

He grabbed his fiancée's hand and left the pub, leaving Isana all alone.

There was still time before she was expected back home, so she took out a book on medicines for beginners and read it to pass the time.

* * *

When Isana entered the hospital the next day, she was greeted by a heart wrenching sight. The same Turkish woman whom she met the other day was weeping hysterically and yelling a Dr. Tenma about something. She was too far away to hear what she was saying.

As she got closer, she could make out the woman's anguish words.

"Why?! Why didn't you operate on my husband?! Give him back! Give my husband back!" the Turkish woman yelled out, voiced filled with anger, sorrow, and grief.

Isana could understand the woman's pain, but she still found it a little unjustified to blame someone else for her husband's death. Meanwhile, the doctor looked completely shell shocked by the woman's accusations.

"Excuse me, ma'am," she spoke, catching the attention of Dr. Tenma and the woman. "I know you are suffering from your husband's death, but Dr. Tenma isn't to blame for that."

"Yes, he is! If he had operated at him, my husband would still be alive!" the lady screamed out.

"That's just merely an assumption," Isana replied as calmly as she could, trying to reason with her. "Doctors can make mistakes. We are human beings, not gods. To think of us as such is incredibly nonsensical. Why don't you go back home and cool your head?"

The Turkish woman merely gave her an angry glare as she left, probably still blaming Dr. Tenma for her husband's death, but coming to an understand that what's done is done and there's nothing they could do to bring him back.

"You didn't have to be so harsh," Tenma reprimanded her. "The woman just lost her husband after all. It wasn't necessary for…"

"Dr. Tenma, are you going keep letting people walk over you?" Isana cut him off, rather harshly, causing a small gasp of surprise to erupt from his mouth. "It's good that you want to help people and all, but do not neglect your own feelings in the process. If you do that, you are an idiotic fool."

Not in the mood to stay at the hospital, she left Tenma to his thoughts. Little did she know that her words would change Tenma's life forever. As later that night, he operated on a little boy who came to the hospital first instead of the mayor he was assigned to.

Because of his irrational decision to disobey the Director's orders, he was demoted and his fiancée, Eva, dumped him.

He went on to rant to one person who he thought would understand his unfortunate dilemma, the little boy whom he had saved from near death, voicing all his pent-up frustration and rage.

The boy's was surgery was a very elaborate one to perform. He was in critical condition when he was brought in the hospital with a bullet lodged deep within his skull. The operation took several long, taxing hours, but it was a success thanks to Dr. Tenma's hard work. Conversely, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Liebert, were killed and his twin sister is in a state of mental shock. The police say it was robbery, but nobody is completely sure at the moment.

"I had an intern that was working under me. It was thanks to her words that gave me the courage to operate on you. She may be a little rough around the edges, but she has a very kind heart."

"Thank you for the compliment, Dr. Tenma."

Tenma jumped out his seat, obviously startled by Isana's presence.

"What are you doing here so late, Isana? Shouldn't you be at home?"

"I was helping some of the nurses with other patients, I was just about to leave when I heard your voice." She took out a chair and sat next to them.

"Oh…" The Doctor felt embarrassed because he said some pretty nasty things out of anger and rage. Like wishing for the Director's death for starters… "So you heard what I said…"

Isana nodded her head, solemnly. "Yeah…" She glanced at Tenma with sympathetic eyes. "I heard what happened. So, you went ahead and disobeyed the Director's orders at the cost of your career. You really are a fool." The comment almost caused Tenma to grit his teeth in frustration at being reminding of his fellow doctors calling him irresponsible for doing what he thought was right.

"All I did was operate this boy who came in first!" He yelled out angrily. "Nothing more than that! And I would do it again without a second thought!"

Isana's green eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before a contented smile flash graced her lips. "You really are a fool, Dr. Tenma. But I like fools like you."

Tenma stared at her completely flabbergasted, especially at the way she smiled at him. It was first time he's seen such a bright and genuine smile from his intern.

The student intern stood up from her chair. "Want to go get some coffee?"

Not knowing what to say and not trusting his mouth to perform a coherent sentence, he nodded dumbly as he followed his intern out the door.

Unbeknownst to them, cold, blue eyes awoke from their deep slumber.

* * *

 **(A/N: Here's the end of the third chapter! If any character sound OOC, I'm sorry. The characters of Monster are all very deep and complex. There's nothing really to say, other than… Uh, oh! Johan is here! I wonder how he'll screw over Isana's life? Reviews, comments, questions, criticisms, I'll love to hear them all! I also want to say that there's going be quite a bit of spoilers for those who haven't seen Monster.)**


	4. Choices and Consequences

**(A/N: Here's chapter four! Enjoy!)**

* * *

Choices and Consequences

Isana learned that the twins that were taken into the Eisler Memorial Hospital names were Johan and Anna Liebert. She felt a little sorry for them because now they were orphaned children who just lost their home in a matter of hours.

She never really liked the idea of children living a lonesome life of fear and anger. Probably because of how miserable Naruto and Sasuke's childhoods were due to their status's as orphans. That's why, during the Fourth Great Ninja, she decided to open a children's clinic after the war was over. Too bad she died before she could achieve that.

As the dark-haired teen was waiting for Dr. Tenma to finish, she decided to visit the little sister of the twins.

The girl laid motionlessly in bed, an expression of pure shock and terror etched permanently across her face. Isana was well aware that the girl was in a state of mental shock. Whatever she saw must have really traumatized her. She's been like that for two whole days. Luckily, the blonde-haired girl's, Anna, arm was hooked to an IV, so she didn't have to worry about her lacking any nutrients. But an IV can only work for so long…

"Ki-"

Isana's eyes widen slightly as Anna began to speak.

"Ki-"

The pinkish-brown haired girl could barely make out the words the younger girl was saying. The blond-haired child lips quivered as she tried to make out the words she was trying to convey. Her mouth moving like she was in a trance.

"Kill…"

" _Kill?"_ Isana straightened up as she contemplated Anna's meaning. Kill? Is she trying to tell her what happened?

Sometimes, she wished Ino was here. Ino, with her clan's mind techniques, could easily help the poor Anna recover from her trauma-induced amnesia. And, in addition to that, learn what the young girl was trying to say.

The lilies she brought the other day stood up freely on the table next to the window. The flowers looked a little crooked, so Isana went to fix them. She gave the girl one last sympathetic look before leaving the room.

* * *

Next, Isana entered the boy's room. The boy was lying in bed, seemingly asleep, with bandages wrapped around his head. He had a lighter shade of blond hair than his sister and his skin was slightly paler as well.

"How are you feeling?" Isana asked, knowing that the boy wouldn't respond to her.

She went to a sit on the chair next to the window, minding the presents that were scattered around. There were presents in his sister's room as well. As much as the pinkish-brown haired girl could appreciate people's sympathy for the twin's plight, material possessions are not something that could replace what they had lost. It could never make up for the pain they are both going through.

"I wonder what's going to happen to both of you now that your parents are gone?"

She sighed as she glanced out the window to the other nurses playing with other sick and injured children.

Isana turned her head back to the sleeping child. She knew the boy was faking. He was awake. Why he doesn't open his eyes, that's something only he knows. Was he afraid? The death of one's parents can be very traumatizing, especially to a child so young.

She didn't know what to say to make their situation any easier. Nothing she could say will make this go away.

"There's nothing I can do to make your pain go away. I really wasn't any good at this sort of thing. Just don't give up! It may take awhile, but things will get better. Strong people are those who endure!"

Isana's face turned a pale shade of pink. "My god, that sounded so lame. That's something Naruto would say."

She let out a depressive sigh. "I miss him."

This was getting awkward. Here she was talking about relics of her past life to a seemingly unconscious boy who was perhaps four or five years younger than her.

The pinkish-brown haired girl took out a book from her backpack. The name of the book was 'Beauty and the Beast'. She couldn't read anything too adult to a ten-year-old kid. She opened the first page and began reading the fairytale.

She didn't know how long she'd been reading until Dr. Tenma entered the room to check the boy's vital signs.

"You seem to visit the twins frequently, Isana," he commented, giving the teen girl a gentle smile.

Isana simply smiled at the boy in a thoughtful manner. "They remind me of very close friends I used to know. They were orphans as well."

Tenma checked Johan's blood pressure. How the boy was still feigning sleep while stuff was being done to his body was actually pretty amazing? The only reason she could tell he was awake was because she was a former trained ninja, and she could tell when a person is awake or asleep by the pattern of their breathing.

The doctor eyed her in concern. "Friends, you say? Do they not keep in contact with you anymore?"

Green eyes glossed in a melancholic manner as she recalled her last memories of Naruto and Sasuke. "No, they died." She somewhat lied. They didn't die, she did.

Tenma didn't know what to say. There's nothing that could be said. He sent her a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry to hear that."

She shook her head, as she closed the book she was reading. "Don't be." She smiled, reminiscing about the times she spent together with Naruto and Sasuke as Team Seven. "At first, we were nothing but complete strangers to each other. We were classmates, but we hardly talked to one another at all. Then we had…an incident…" She recounted one of their very first missions to the Land of Waves and facing Zabuza and Haku. "…After that experience, we were inseparable. We became somewhat like brothers and sister. We were a family, not related by blood but a family by bonds." She glanced out the window, her eyes shone with mirth. "Somebody once told me that blood ties do not make a family. A family is connected by strong bonds and love." The teenage girl beamed, almost happily at the doctor. "As long as I still carry their memories, dead or alive, we'll always be connected."

There was quite a bit of the tale she was glossing over, but that's a story for another time.

She stood up from the chair. "Heh. Look at me, getting all sentimental. Well, I guess we should check on your other patients, right, Dr. Tenma?"

Finishing his check up on Johan, Tenma gathered his equipment. He wrote some numbers down on a chart. "Johan seems to be completely normal, but he's still in a coma. We can only wait for him to wake."

Isana wanted to blurt out that the boy is awake, but kept her mouth. She didn't want to cause problem, if the blond boy wasn't ready to deal with them. "When do you think he'll wake up?" she asked instead.

"I don't know," Tenma shook his head, solemnly. "That depends on the child himself."

"If you are done, we should probably leave," Isana suggested.

"Yeah, I still have other patients I need to check before my shift is over."

As the two left the room, they didn't notice a pair of emotionless blue eyes staring at their retreating forms.

* * *

When Isana entered the hospital the next day, she was instantly greeted by a loud, terrified, girlish scream. She rushed towards the source without bothering to check herself in.

The teenage girl was finally met with the sight of a frantic doctor and nurse dragging an unconscious Anna away. The expression of fear and anguish on her face was a dead giveaway that the scream came from her.

Dr. Tenma was arguing with another doctor about something, but she was too far away to hear. But judging by the look on his face, he looked pissed off. The other doctor simply smirked, smugly at Tenma before pointing him towards Johan's room.

Isana was finally close enough to hear what was being said.

"I was simply ordered by the Director to take a picture of the twins' heartwarming reunion under the care of our prestigious hospital." He held up the camera he was holding to emphasis his point. "And as you can, the boy is showing a normal response at seeing his sister again."

The way he spoke about the twins as if they are merely tools to gander the hospital's popularity made her blood boil. She took note of the boy crying, his hand outstretched in front of him, probably reaching out to his sister.

"Congratulations," the doctor sneered in pure mockery. "Your job with the twins is done." He shoved Tenma out the room. "Now, get back to your post!"

That does it!

Isana threw a powerful punch towards the doctor's face. She smiled in sick satisfaction as she heard a crackling sound, indicating that she broke the bastard's nose.

He fell towards the ground with a loud thud. She straddled him, so he couldn't move, ignoring Tenma's protests.

The pinkish-brown haired girl glared angrily at the asshole doctor. "Listen here, you piece of shit! Children are not toys, they are human beings! They are not tools for you to do as you please! It's bastards like you that really piss me off! Lives are not meant to be taken for granted! And don't you realize what you did to the poor girl?! Because of what you did, her mind may be completely broken and she may never recover!" She sent a sharp punch to his jaw. "Assholes like you, who only value money and power, have absolutely no right to call themselves doctors! Shannaro!" Her fist was again met the doctor's face with such brutal force that this time, she broke his jaw.

"Isana, that's enough!" Tenma yelled at her, as he pulled her off of him. "Control your anger now! It's not very professional to cause physical harm to the staff of the hospital. You should know that!" he scolded her, displeased with her behavior.

"What's going on here?" Another overweight doctor asked as he approached the scene. He had a very stern look on his face. "You shouldn't be here, Dr. Tenma. The twins are not your responsibilities anymore."

"Y-yes, sir!" Tenma ducked out of the hallway, pulling a seething Isana along with him.

* * *

During dinner, Isana told her parents about how awful the staff were treating twins. Her mom and dad could understand how their daughter feels, but they also grasp the value of the political advantages of having two courageous siblings recovering miraculous under the hospital's care.

It was after dinner, that a loud knock resonated throughout the house. "I'll get it!" Isana announced, as she put down the science textbook she was reading.

"Thanks, honey!" her mother called from the kitchen, as she was doing the dishes.

When she opened the door, her eyes widened in shock at te two police officers standing before her.

"Are you Isana Blum?" one of them asked, holding up his badge.

Her mother came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on the yellow apron she was wearing. A look of concern and fear was plastered on her face as she wrapped her arms protectively over her daughter.

"The police? What do the police want with my daughter?" Carla demanded, glaring at the officers.

"We just came to ask you a few questions…" The other officer pulled out a notebook and pen from his shirt pocket. "As you may not know, the Director of Eisler Memorial Hospital, Dr. Heinemann, Dr. Oppenheim, and Dr. Boyer are all dead."

Carla was shaken from the horrific news, her eyes were wide in horror. "Three people died? H-How?"

"I don't know, ma'am, that's what we are trying to figure out. You daughter works at the hospital as a student intern, correct?"

"That's right," Isana answered, trying to act as nervous as she could. She felt bad that those doctors died, but she honestly couldn't care less. They were assholes. "I work under Dr. Tenma."

The officer nodded, processing the information. "Where were you after six-thirty?"

"She was having dinner with her family," her mother emphasized her point, gesturing towards the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Okay. Well, just let us know if you see any suspicious characters roaming around. And be extra careful."

The two officers left the Blum's household afterwards.

* * *

Isana began thinking and coming up with different scenarios of how all three of the doctors died and at the same time. She knew that they pissed her off, but she would never wish death upon them. Someone must have really held a grudge against them. The only other person that came to mind was Dr. Tenma. But the good doctor was too kind and gentle to kill another human being, no matter how much they mistreat him.

When Isana attended the funeral for the deceased doctors, she heard from Tenma that the twins vanished the same night the doctors were killed. Call her crazy, but it did seem a little suspicious that both Johan and Anna Liebert simply disappeared after those three staff members' deaths.

Some of them thought the twins may have been kidnapped by the same assailant that attacked their home a few days before. The fifteen-year-old girl couldn't rule out the possibility of a kidnapping, but nothing is absolutely certain as of yet.

Little did she know that this was simply the beginning of a gory, enigmatic puzzle of fear and destruction.

* * *

Nine years have passed since the Eisler Memorial Hospital incident, and Dr. Tenma was working as the Head of Neurosurgery just as long. Until an unexpected event will change his life forever.

He was taken care of an ex-criminal, who recently had a major brain injury, named Junkers. There was string of middle aged couple murders and he was the prime suspect.

However, just like nine years before, Junkers vanished from his hospital room.

Feeling paranoid about the uncanny scenario from years ago, he decided to follow after his patient.

Tenma followed Junkers to an abandoned warehouse.

"No! Doctor, stay away!" Junkers yelled out, frantically, the fear was very evident in his voice. "Don't come any closer! If you see his face, he'll kill you!"

Ignoring Junkers's warnings, the brave doctor marched until he reached the top of steps, wondering who this 'monster' was that his patient feared so much. Enough to escape from his room out of desperation.

When Tenma reached the very top, he was greeted by a frightened Junkers kneeling on the ground in front of a mysterious assailant. Was that person the 'monster' Junkers was talking about? It was way too dark to make out the man's features.

"Don't look at him! He's the one who killed my friends!"

As Junkers spoke those words, Tenma couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear tinkle up his spine. So, this guy standing in front of Junkers was a murderer?

"So, we finally meet, Dr. Tenma. It's me," the guy's voice was very calm and soft spoken. It was almost hard to believe someone with a voice as gentle and soft as that to be a killer. "Nine years ago, you saved my life," the man, elaborated. "Don't you remember about the twins?"

"J-Johan," Tenma breathed out in disbelieve.

A hint of a mock relieved smile graced the man's, now identified as Johan, lips. "Yes, that twin… You remembered." He seemed quite pleased, if Tenma could tell by the sound of his voice.

Despite the unpleasant dread he felt, Tenma gathered his bearings as he remembered the reason why he was here.

"What are you doing?" the doctor demanded. "Mr. Junkers is my patient! Let him go!"

Johan tilted his head. "What am I doing?" He reached inside the jacket he was wearing and casually pulled out a Beretta 92FS and points it at Junkers. "An execution," he explains as if he was merely talking about the weather.

Tenma eyes widen in horror as someone could talk about taking another human being's life so casually without so much as batting an eye. Junkers screamed in terror as Johan made his claim known.

"What are you doing?!" The doctor tried to quell his fears, so he could try to reason with his former patient's humanity.

"Run, doctor!" the hostage shouted at Tenma out of fear and desperation. "He killed my friends, and he'll kill you too! We were hired by him. He'll call us each time, and a large amount of money was wired into our bank accounts after each job. That way, it seems like we've taken the money and split. He had it all figured out!"

Tenma was completely caught off guard by the dreadful information. "O-oh my god, so the one who instigated those murders of the middle-aged couples was you?"

"When the police started suspecting me, he tried to get rid of us. He already killed Fritz and Boris! Right when he was dying, Fritz told me that we were…we were… THAT WE WERE HIRED BY A MONSTER!" Junkers screamed out in absolute fright and terror, his whole body shaken in horror. "He doesn't even blink when killing someone! It means nothing to him! Run or he'll kill you too!"

Johan merely cocked his gun. "You talk too much, Junkers."

"Stop it!" Tenma yelled, frantic and angry. "It doesn't seem like Mr. Junkers knows who you are, but I do. I was your doctor. You are Johan Liebert, the elder brother of the Liebert twins. You are the son of Michael Liebert, an East German trade advisor who crossed the Berlin Wall in 1986. With all the information we have on you, it'd be impossible for you to escape. Don't add to your crimes, Johan!"

Johan chuckled in a cold, cynical way. "Johan, huh? Yes, there was time I was called by that name. But you know something, doctor, 'Johan' isn't my real name."

"Huh?" The doctor was genuinely confused by this.

"You must never know about my past. Not about those four couples, nor the Lieberts. But… You and that woman are different, doctor. You both cared for me and restored me to life. I feel like you are like a father to me, Dr. Tenma. And that woman is not quite old enough to be considered a mother. Perhaps, a lover will do," he said, almost as an afterthought.

Dr. Tenma seemed to process this startling news. "Woman? Do you mean Isana Blum?" he questioned. The disarming smile was enough to confirm his suspicion. "Keep her out of this!"

"I'll visit her again, in due time, of course," Johan stated, coldly. He seemed confident that he'd have his reunion with Isana. "But first…" He clicked the trigger of his gun, causing Junkers to cry out in terror.

"Stop it! You can't just go around killing!"

"Why not?" the man asked simply, as if he wasn't just pointing a gun at someone's head.

Tenma was surprised by his nonchalant attitude. "Why not? The life of every human is sacred. Don't you see that? Nobody is better than anyone else. Saving your life opened my eyes. All human life is equal! That's why no one has the right to take another's life! As a doctor, I lived by those morals for last nine years because of you!"

In response, a cold, chilling giggle erupted out of Johan. The breeze blowing in the wind made it even more ominous.

"You became the Head of Surgery soon after incident, didn't you, doctor? I was so glad I was able to help. That was a good thing."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Tenma almost choked on his own words.

"You were promoted because the Director and the others died, right? I'm really happy that I was able to repay my debt."

Tenma froze in shock at the revelation. The horrifying words only the true culprit would know. "Then… You…" He started the panic at the terrific information laid out before him.

"You're the who one said it, who wanted it. That's what you confessed to me right after I regained consciousness. That you hated them so much, you wished they were dead."

Tenma's eyes widened in horror as the monster kept rubbing salt in his wound, reveling in his despair.

"All I did was grant you your wish."

The doctor's whole body froze in horror, hopelessness, and despair. His whole worldview seemed to shatter in an instant.

"Save me, doctor!" Junkers backed away in fright. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Doctor!"

Two gunshots resonated throughout the room, and Junkers pleads for help were silenced as his body dropped towards the ground in a loud heap.

Johan pocketed his weapon and insouciantly stepped over Junkers's corpse, not concerned at all about the dead body. He walked at a leisure pace until he was right next to Tenma.

"I was supposed to die that night. You're the one who resurrected me, doctor."

A traumatized Tenma tried with all his might to look at the cold-blooded killer in the eye. He finally managed to, and was meet with the face of a beautiful man with blond hair and cold, cynical blue eyes.

As the monster left the building, Tenma dropped to his knees in devastation.

 _What the hell happened?_

* * *

 **(A/N: This is the end of chapter four! I doubt my descriptions could do a beautiful series like Monster and this ending scene justice. But I tried my best and I hope you guys enjoyed it in return. Johan is such a beautiful, murderous asshole. This is one of the best establishing character moment I've seen in anime so far! Now, what terrifying plans does Johan have for Isana? The next chapter or two will probably be from Tenma's viewpoint before I go back to Isana. Monster is known for having developed characters, main and side characters. I'm trying to give as many people a chance at screen time as I can. Of course, there are times the main character doesn't show up for episodes on end and they focus on the side characters, so don't be surprised when there are chapters that Isana don't show up at all. She might be mentioned, but would, otherwise, be a no show. Reviews, comments, questions, criticisms, I'll love to hear them all! And see you next time!)**


	5. Twins

**(A/N: Man, my brain is wracking with ideas. Thanks for all your reviews! They really inspire me to keep going! Anyway, here's chapter five! Enjoy!**

 **I know I said it's a rated M for the sexual content that will show up later, but as I think about it... It's rated M for its dark themes and sexual content. For fair warning, there's going to be bondage, rape, psychological and emotional abuse, mind break, and, of course, limes and lemons. Monster is a psychological thriller/crime-drama seinen manga/anime. I just want to say that if any of you feel uncomfortable of the contents of the story, you should stop reading. I don't want you reporting this story, even though I gave you fair** _ **warning**_ **for the subject matters that will be addressed. If you feel awkward, uneasy, or find these matters unpleasant, you can stop reading any further. If not, please continue to enjoy the story! And also, Monster takes place in Germany in the 1990s, and there are mentions of Hitler, the Nazis, and World War II. So, if you hate that, I recommend not to read. If you don't care, then, by all means, keep reading!**

 **animagirl: I really like your idea, but already have a planned figured out. Thanks for the suggestion though! Might use it sometime. However, I didn't know if you were joking or being serious about Isana/Sakura falling for Johan because of his good looks. I just took it as a joke. I know it's only of reference to Sakura only liking Sasuke for his looks and talents. But don't you think Sakura has matured since then? I doubt she'll fall for a guy just because he's a good looker. She's not childish and immature enough to like Johan because he's a pretty boy. But it was just a joke, right? So no harm done.)**

* * *

Twins

Tenma was shocked, no paralyzed with guilt and fear that the cute, innocent little boy he saved nine years ago has grown up into an infamous serial killer. He just had an interview with Detective Lunge, but despite telling the truth, he knew the detective was starting suspect him as the suspect behind Adolf Junkers's murder.

Although, that was the least of his worries. Oh, dear god! What the hell was he going to do?

Johan… That was the name of the boy that he had saved, which consequently caused the deaths of several other people across Germany. He was really starting to question if what he did back then, ignoring the Director's orders and operating on a would-be serial killer was truly the right thing choice.

This really wasn't the time to be worrying about the past. What's done is done. The doctor decided that he needed to stop his former patient from causing anymore destruction and suffering.

Tenma remembered that Johan was after his former student. It made the doctor feel uneasy and his heart stricken with guilt and terror. Who knew what Johan would do to Isana once he found her?

Isana Blum is a headstrong, intelligent, and kind young girl. She was his intern nine years ago, and she was there when he operated on that young, seemingly innocent, boy. A few months after that terrible incident, her parents decided to move away, deeming her job as an intern too dangerous.

Who could blame them really? Their daughter was a young teenager working in a hospital where three people were murdered. It was their right as Isana's parents to protect their only daughter at any cost.

Since then, Doctor Tenma hadn't seen her. By now, she's probably in her mid-twenties, just a few years older than Johan.

What was Johan planning to do with Isana? Isana is strong willed, but Johan… Johan is a sociopathic serial killer. Tenma dread the terrible things he could do to her. The monster could blackmail her, like he did with Junkers, murder her or worse… resort to raping her...?

The doctor remembered Johan defined Isana as too young to be like a mother, so labeled her as his lover. And that is what terrified Tenma. He heard that most obsessed serial killers tend to force themselves on the person who they 'claim' as theirs. Would Johan stoop so low as to find, kidnap, and sexually assault Isana?

That's why Dr. Tenma took a two week vacation to Heidelberg to figure out where the monster's next move would be. Would he go after Isana or does he have something bigger planned first?

The only thing the good doctor could think of was to visit the neighbors of those murdered couples. Isana was in danger and he had to find Johan before he finds her!

* * *

"Nina, dear! How was work?"

A young blonde haired woman entered her home to be greeted by a middle-aged woman with light blonde hair and her husband. After her usual greeting with her parents, the girl, called Nina, went upstairs to her room.

"Whoa, what a day…" Nina took off the tan coat she was wearing and threw it over the chair. Before going to bed, she decided to check her computer for any new emails.

The blonde girl mused humorously to herself as one of her friends sent her a message of her bad breakup. Then her blue eyes widened in confusion, as she gazed at an unfamiliar email.

" _I'll shall send you the most beautiful flowers. I was born to smother you with flowers."_ That's what email read.

It was so poetic and romantic! Nina has never read anything so profound, heartfelt, and elegant as this poem. She'd love to meet the person who sent her this lovely message!

* * *

It's been two days since Dr. Tenma left his position at the hospital and traveled from Dusseldorf to Heidelberg, spending his vacation time searching for the elusive Johan.

That's why he found himself in a local newspaper business searching for any information on the young blond boy. He just made a stunning realization that Johan had a sibling! A twin, in fact. How could he forget about his twin sister, Anna Liebert? Where was Anna?

The doctor didn't know how long he's been looking through these archives. All he knew is that he's been at this, searching for Johan or any connections to him, since morning and now it's past sundown. He felt tired and hungry. No matter how much he wanted to take a rest and eat a sandwich or something, he relentlessly continued reading news article after news article.

His eyes began to droop as they started to tire. He felt woozy, not to mention that he was starving. But he endured the heaviness of his eyelids and the hunger pains, conversely though, he was unyielding for his search for Johan or his sister, Anna.

Tenma didn't know when he suddenly collapsed on the floor and went to sleep.

* * *

"Well, aren't you going to eat?"

It was already late in the morning the next day and Tenma found himself at a local restaurant with an overweight man named Jacob Maurer. He was a snarky middle aged man. He had a stern face and seemed to have an irritable demeanor, but he was actually a nice guy.

Maurer was an editor for the Heidelberg Post and the one that allowed the doctor to read those newspaper articles. He was also the one who offered Tenma breakfast at the local pub they were at.

The doctor solemnly cut up a piece of a sausage and popped it in his mouth.

"Good, right?" Maurer spoke, instigating a conversation with Dr. Tenma. "I come here to eat all the time."

"Huh? Don't you eat with your family?" Tenma asked, curiously.

"Haven't got one," the news editor stated, indifferently. "My wife walked out on me. She took our kids with her."

"Huh…?"

"I was also too busy with work, and before I knew it, she left with our daughters and moved to her parents' house." Maurer spoke with such casualness about his divorce that it almost surprised Dr. Tenma. "It's just like neglecting one's health. When you're so busy with outside events, you remain clueless to what happens in your own family."

"Do you ever think about patching things up with her?"

Now the news editor looked absolutely shocked by that suggestion. "Huh?! She's the one who walked out on me! Why should I apologize?"

"You never know… Maybe you work too much and don't spend much time with your wife, Mr. Maurer," Tenma uttered, trying to smooth things over him.

Maurer sneered as he took out a pack of smokes and a lighter from his shirt pocket. He took out a cigarette and fueled it. He leisurely placed the smoke into his mouth, inhaled it deeply, and blow out a puff of smoke.

"Maybe you should cut back on your smoking, Mr. Maurer," Tenma advised, sheepishly. "It'll cause health problems."

"Hmph!" Maurer sneered. "You sound like that wife of mine. Always getting on my case about my work and smoking habits. She needs to realize, that for men, work is everything. Work brings money and puts food on the table. If a woman can't understand that, then they have no right to complain." When he finished his little rant, he hastily chewed on a piece of scrambled eggs.

"Then that must mean she was worried about your health and was upset that you were not spending enough time with her and your daughters," Tenma stated, thoughtfully.

Maurer merely huffed in frustration and they both continued to eat in silence.

Afterwards, Tenma continued to read through the archives to find any clues on Johan with a reluctant Maurer.

* * *

Nina Fortner was on her way to the Heidelberg Castle to meet her prince charming. Part of her knew that she shouldn't go to a place so creepy so late at night, but she was meeting the person that was sending her all those anonymous, romantic emails. And besides, if she meets this mysterious person, he may be a clue to her hidden past.

Ever since she started living with the Fortners, she couldn't remember anything before she was ten. She has taken appointments to a guidance counselor, and the counseling helped to a certain point, however, after receiving those enamored messages, she couldn't resist the urge to uncover her past any longer.

The sky became darker and darker as the young blonde woman approached the building. The castle had an ominous aura about it. The building was old, but miraculously still standing tall. The walls were chipped and worn out and there were vines and moss growing out of it. A beautiful garden surrounding the age-old structure though.

Nina hands reached for the rusty gold gate and opened. It rattled and creaked loudly as she opened it. Every fiber in her body screamed for her to run, to get away, but she ignored it. She was anxious to know. She had to find out more about her past!

The blonde girl climbed up the stairs and waited for her secret admirer to come up and greet her. She tensed as she picked up the sound of footsteps hitting against the pavement. The footsteps came from tall, skinny man. He had a creepy, insane look on his face.

A look of shock and fear crossed the girl's face as the man pulled out a pair of hedge clippers. She deduced that he must be the gardener here.

"Don't go anywhere!" the man yelled out. He even sounded crazy and deranged. "You are to stay here! I was ordered to keep you here! I'm going to be paid a lot of money if I kept you here!"

Okay, this guy was nothing more than an insane creep. A tingle of fear crawled up her spine as she slowly backed away from the crazed lunatic.

"Anna! Anna, where are you?"

She heard the sound of a gruff, masculine voice. He sounded frantic and desperate. But who was Anna? There was no one here, except for her and this…this crazed gardener.

Soon enough, another male approached the scene. He was tall and lean and looked a little muscular. He had black hair and dark brown eyes. His hair seemed a little bit disheveled and there was bit of a stubble growing under his chin. He wore a business suit that also appeared slightly dirty. He was obviously Japanese.

"Anna! Thank god, I found you!" A look of relief crossed the man's face, but soon turned into confusion when he spotted the uncertainty crossing hers. "It's me, Dr. Tenma! I was your doctor nine years ago."

Doctor? He was her doctor nine years ago? But she doesn't remember ever seeing a doctor. Maybe this doctor was a part of her lost childhood memories. Did he send her those emails?

"What are you doing here?!" the insane gardener shouted, frantically and angrily. "I was told that no one was supposed to be here!" He pointed his clippers towards Tenma. "Get out of here! I won't get my money if you interfere!" He charged towards the doctor, clippers raised high. " _Get out_!"

Dr. Tenma made a noise between a grunt and a yelp of surprise and fear. Forgetting her own anxiety, Nina quickly wrestled the man to the ground and pulled his arm behind his back, causing the man to drop the hedge clippers. All those years of aikido classes paid off!

"How did you…?" Tenma seemed genuinely surprised to see a woman overpower a man.

"Hand me something to tie up his arms!" she cut him off, urgently.

The neurosurgeon searched for anything sturdy and strong to tie up the gardener's hands. He figured his tie was his best bet. He hastily untied it and handed to the blonde girl, who, in turn, used it to tie up the gardener's hands.

Afterwards, Dr. Tenma led Nina back to her house, explaining to her, or at least trying to, that her family was in danger. The young blonde woman was puzzled by that disturbing declaration. He found no time to elaborate on the situation. He had to get to the Fortners' house before it was too late!

The doctor also hoped that Johan hasn't found Isana yet. Dear god, he dreaded the horrific things he'll do to her if he ever located her.

* * *

A pinkish-brown haired woman was sitting at a local bar, waiting for her supposed date to show up.

"Are you Isana Blum?"

Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of her name. She turned around was met with a face of beautiful blond man with blue eyes and a small smile. He extended his hand towards her.

"Hello. My name is Johan Liebert. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

* * *

 **(A/N: This is the end of chapter five! The next chapter will focus on Isana and leading up to the ending scene of where she meets Johan. Uh, oh! Johan found Isana? I'm honestly scared for her and I'm the one writing the story! That's how scary Johan is as a character and a villain. I don't have much to say that I haven't said in the beginning of this chapter. Just that, those who have seen Monster knows who Nina is. If you have not, you'll find out later. Well, tell me what you think of this chapter! I love to see your responses!)**


	6. Secret Admirer

**(A/N: Here's chapter six! This chapter focuses on Isana and her life as a med student. Enjoy!**

 **animagirl: I know what you mean. Sometimes it feels like Sakura bashing has become the norm of Naruto fanfiction writers, and it's really disappointing how immature people are. If Sakura isn't the main character or one of the main characters, it's always a sixty to seventy percent chance of her being bashed in the story. Most people just do it because it's 'cool' and in hopes to get more reviews. But it's not cool and completely petty, immature, and just plain pandering to the lowest common denominator. Don't worry, I don't bash any character. If there's going to be any hate, it's because the characters themselves genuinely despised one another. No author biased opinion involved.**

 **RimK10: Thanks for the review! Really appreciate it! And I can't answer all your questions because they'll be answered in the next couple of chapters anyway. But I will say this, yeah, I see your point. Isana didn't change much, but there was nothing she could do that lead up to Johan getting shot and operated on. But convincing Dr. Tenma to save Johan's life wasn't the actual purpose. The true purpose was for Isana to become another person that Johan would obsess over. Another person that he'll deem worthy of his time. Another person he'll show interest in. And that's where the trick lays. Johan cares for his twin sister, Anna, as an overprotective older brother, but takes it to very disturbing extremes. He thinks of Tenma as a father and the only one worthy of killing him, and in return messes up the latter's life as much as possible. And now Johan claims Isana as his 'lover'. And because of this, how would Isana go about trying to understand Johan? And how would he affect her life? What mind twisting schemes does he have for her? That's where Isana lays within this jigsaw puzzle. I don't want to say anymore to avoid spoiling anything. All I can say is that Monster is one extremely, elaborate chessboard with Johan as the chess master. Plus, Johan, the villain, is the one who drives the story/plot. And that's saying a lot for how good of a villain he is! It's rare to see the villain drive the plot. To put the butterfly effect in full effect would be to change Johan's character. And that would be dangerously close to OOCing Johan. But don't worry I got things planned for later. There will be some changes that will differ from canon, if that's what you're worried about. Oh, and one more thing, Johan was never in Heidelberg. He was in Munster. That was just a red herring to throw Tenma off. However, he was planning on having one of his minions pick up Nina and bring her to him, but Tenma ruined that plan. Plus, Johan always seems to know where everybody is at any given time, which creeps me out. Even knowing their past and every detail of their life, which is even creepier, but also explains why he's such a master manipulator. However, there also some characters that just plain tell him their whole life story even though he's a** _ **complete**_ **stranger to them and justify it by saying that Johan's obligated to know. Since when was he** _ **obligated**_ **to know your past? That is 'too dumb to live' up to eleven. I know this is long, and thanks again for the review!)**

* * *

Secret Admirer

"Can anyone name all two hundred and six bones in the human body?"

In a classroom filled with uncertainty, a single hand rose.

The professor pointed his pointer at the owner of the hand. "Yes, Ms. Isana?"

It's been nine years since the incident at the Eisler Memorial Hospital, and Isana was now a student attending Munster University. As the professor called on her, she diligently answered the question.

Isana Blum was now a twenty-four-year-old woman studying nursing and health along with child psychology at Munster University. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail and she wore a short sleeved, pink shirt with a short red tie, an unbuttoned yellow vest, black slacks, and yellow loafers.

"Good," the professor nodded proudly. "Can anyone else, besides Isana, explain how to mend a broken hand?"

* * *

Half an hour later, and the lecture was over. Isana was walking out the University Hall with a tired and bored sigh. A gentle wind blowing through her long, pinkish-brown ponytail. She pulled back the stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Hey, Isana!"

The aforementioned girl stopped and turned to see two girls running to catch up to her. One had short blonde hair, brown eyes, and wore a yellow blouse with a short blue skirt and black heels, and the other had long brown hair, dark blue eyes, and was wearing a green dress that stopped just above her knees with a red crop jacket and red, calf length boots.

"Oh… Hey, Laura, Amelie." Isana waved at them as both girls slowed down until they were at her pace.

"So, any cute guys ask you out yet?"

Isana's emerald eyes rolled as she saw the flirty smile on Amelie's face.

"I don't care about going on dates with random boys," Isana spat out. "They are just a bunch of perverts that just want to get in my pants."

Laura tsked and wagged her finger at her, playfully chiding Isana. "And it's that kind of attitude are the reasons why guys are afraid to ask you out. You are beautiful but that nasty temper of yours is very off-putting."

Isana crossed her arms, indignantly.

Amelie's face scrunched up in curiosity. "By the way, what happened to that boy we hooked you up last night?"

The pinkish-brown haired woman scoffed. "I dumped him as soon as he tried to seduce me into sleeping with him. Hmph! Who the hell fucks after the first date? He's lucky that I didn't break his arm. Shannaro!"

Both Laura and Amelie glanced at each other, sharing a look of exasperated haughtiness.

"How about we head to the bar for some drinks?" Laura suggested.

"Sorry, guys, I have kendo class in thirty minutes," Isana replied, apologetically. "Speaking of which, I better hurry or I'll be late."

Not waiting for a response, the pinkish-brown haired woman rushed off, leaving her two friends behind.

* * *

Isana dodged a low jab of a wooden sword aimed at her abdomen by blocking the blow with her sword. Seeing an opportunity to strike, as her opponent was a little unbalanced, Isana swiftly made a downward strike, her sword knocking against her enemy's head, making them fall flat on their butt.

The pinkish-brown haired woman took off her protective mask, shaking her sweaty hair that was sticking to her face. She wiped the sweat of her brow.

"Excellent work, Isana!"

A dark-haired man who looked to be in his mid-forties approached her. He had a stern, yet approving look on his face. There were some wrinkles growing alongside his brow and he had a small goatee sprouting under his chin.

"You are improving everyday."

"Thank you, Mr. Gunner."

"Why don't you take a break?"

"No thanks, I'm okay to keep going."

"Only a few more rounds, Isana," Mr. Gunner spoke with finality. "I don't want you overworking yourself into exhaustion."

Isana nodded her head in acceptance and put her helmet back on, waiting for her next opponent to step up to the mat.

* * *

"Aah! This is the life," Isana sighed in bliss, as her body was soaked in a tub of hot water and soap. Life here was so much less stressful than her old one. No missions, meaning no life risking battles.

A glint of sorrow flashed across her emerald eyes. Even so, it was still much more exciting. Life here was getting too mundane and boring. There was nothing to do except to attend her college classes and work. She took up kendo lessons to train her athletic abilities, but even that was losing its purpose. None of her workout partners were much of a challenge for her. The only reason she still attends was because it was a good stress reliever.

It was times like this where she missed sparring with Naruto and Sasuke. She giggled, remembering how both boys would always argue over the simplest things and Naruto's continuous begging of eating out at Ichiraku.

She sighed and shook her head, trying to clear away the memories of her past life. Everytime she dwells too much on the past, she becomes very homesick and depressed.

Isana climbed out of her bath, wrapping a towel around her waist. She got ready for bed and dressed in her nightgown. Her nightgown was a simple spaghetti strapped dress that was cut below her chest and reached just above her knees.

"Before I go to bed, I should probably check my emails."

The pinkish-brown haired girl turned over to her computer and turned it on. As she waited for it to load up, she went to make herself to tea. The girl now lived in a single bedroom apartment with a living room and two bathrooms. She remembered her parents arguing with her when she first wanted to moved out. How they feverously tried to persuade her to stay with them, at least until she found a suitable husband to move in with.

At first, she was appalled at such a suggestion. It felt like an insult to her being as a strong, independent woman. She didn't need to man to take care of her! She promised herself she wouldn't rely on anyway with such simple and stupid things. If she wanted something, she'd try hard until she'll achieve it. Just like she was raised in Konoha. Isana may not be a Leaf Village kunoichi in this life, however, she damn well still has the pride of one.

Hearing the sizzle of a boiling kettle, Isana turned the stove off. After pouring the hot water into her teacup filled with a tea bag, she stirred it until it turned into a mint green color.

She took the cup and headed back to her room.

Isana sat on her chair as she searched through all her unread emails. There was nothing of importance, just bunch of messages from Laura and Amelie. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Most of them were just ideas to set her up on another date. Again.

As the pinkish-brown haired woman was about to shut down her computer, another email popped up on her screen. She clicked on it and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was no return address, no contact, no name whatsoever. Totally blank, except for a few lines at the bottom of the screen.

" _You are a radiant star rising in the barren sky, and I was born to darken your brilliant light. I'm going to chain you up with rose petals and suffocate you with the finest silk."_

Isana didn't know what to think as she read these lines over and over again. It was very flattering. She had to admit it, it was the most romantic thing she has ever read! Reading it made her heart flutter in her chest, at first. However, as she searched deeper into its meaning… Call her paranoid, but it also sounded possessive. Plus, the fact this was an anonymous creep who knew her email. She doesn't remember telling anyone her email address, except for her parents, Laura, and Amelie. How the hell did this person get ahold of it?

Normally, girls would be squealing in their seats, thrilled at the thought of a handsome prince coming to take them away to a castle full of riches and shower them with expensive clothing and jewelry.

Unfortunately, Isana was _not_ that kind of girl. She didn't want to be spoiled with tons of money. Her love wasn't meant to be bought with fine jewelry and gold.

The pinkish-brown haired girl wanted a companion, a partner. Someone to love and love her in return. She wanted a lifelong partner. The girl needed both a friend and a lover.

Isana sighed in obvious distress. There was no point in stressing over this. She stretched her arms and yawned tiredly. She'll deal with this crap in the morning.

The girl shut down her computer and climbed into her bed. She closed her eyes and dreamed of a time she'll never get back.

* * *

"So, I told Lola that if she ever wanted to get Andreas to notice her to try wearing something more sexy. Men dig women who offers them a chance to have sex."

"Yeah, wear a nice outfit and show a little cleavage and guys are putty in your hands."

Isana wasn't paying attention to Laura's and Amelie's idle conversations. They mostly just talk about boys and clothes anyway. She wasn't interested to listen to stuff like that. Funny though, it reminded her of her old self and how she and Ino used to blab about boys, makeup, and clothes.

"Hey, Isana, are you even listening?"

The pinkish-brown haired woman was snapped out of her doleful musings to meet the frowning and annoyed faces of Laura and Amelie.

Isana smiled, apologetic. "Sorry, guys, I was spacing out. What were you saying?"

Amelie sighed in obvious annoyance. "We were _saying_ that you need to find yourself your own boy toy."

It was now Isana's turn to frown. "I told you guys, _I don't need a boyfriend_!"

Laura rolled her eyes. "Oh, please!" She pointed an accusing finger at her. "When was the last time you have ever kissed a guy?"

The pinkish-brown haired girl opened her mouth, but closed it when she couldn't find any words to defend herself. "I don't need a guy, okay?" she muttered under breath.

"Isana, you are a twenty-four-year-old woman, and you have never kissed a man," Laura replied, somberly shaking her head. "Don't you want to know what it feels like to get laid?"

"Speaking of getting laid, since you don't want to look for a guy to satisfy your needs, Isana, we found the perfect boy for you," Amelie added in, a sly and playful smile gracing her lips.

The other girl's eyes light up with glee, causing Isana to glance between the two of them in confusion.

"Do you mean _that_ guy?"

"Yep, I asked him and he said yes!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Isana asked, confused.

"We found the perfect boy for you, Isana!" Laura giggled, excitedly. "He's handsome, intelligent, and charismatic. I guarantee that you'll fall head over heels for him!"

Emerald eyes narrowed, displeased. "And what did he say 'yes' to?"

"That he'll take you out to dinner tonight!" Amelie exclaimed, joyfully.

"For the hundredth time, I don't want a boyfriend!"

"You are going on that date!" Both girls yelled out simultaneously.

Amelie shook her finger at Isana, admonishingly. "We are not going to let you waste away your life!"

Isana sighed, defeated. No matter what she says, she wouldn't be able to talk them out of leaving her alone.

"Where do I meet him?"

* * *

When Isana finally returned home, she spotted a single red rose taped to her door. No letter, no note, just a simple flower. Was it from the same person who sent her that anonymous email? It kinda creeped her out that there was this obsessed stalker somewhere and he knew where she lived.

She plucked the rose from the door and stepped inside. There was no time to dwell on it. And besides, she's a formerly trained kunoichi, she can take on a mere stalker.

Isana rushed to her room and opened her wardrobe. She decided to pick an outfit that was decent and pretty enough for her blind date, but not too fancy or elegant. She wasn't there to show off to some stranger her friends hooked her up with. If he tries to judge her based on her outfit and looks, then she'll know that he's just another scumbag looking to get to third base.

"Ah, ha!" The pinkish-brown girl took out a long sleeved red shirt and sleeveless green dress that reached below her knees. She dropped the outfit on and pulled out a pair of red, strapped sandals.

Going to her bathroom, the girl pulled out her makeup kit. She wasn't that interested in makeup, but a light touch of mascara and some lip gloss wouldn't hurt.

It was time to meet her date!

* * *

Isana sighed as she was alone at a diner, waiting for her supposed date to show up. She was waiting for ten fucking minutes now? Did Laura and Amelie tell her the wrong time or place to meet her date?

She sighed again, this time in frustration as she took a sip of her mint tea.

"When the hell is he going to show up, shannaro?"

"Excuse me, are you Isana Blum?"

Isana's ears perked up as she heard her name being called. She turned her head and was meet face to face with beautiful blond haired man with elegant blue eyes and a charming smile. She'll be lying if she didn't say this guy was good looking, like her friends told her. Actually, he was more handsome than she thought, but it'll take more than a pretty face to win her over.

The man extended his hand towards her, his eyes never leaving her face and his everlasting smile lingering across his face.

"Hello. My name is Johan Liebert. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

He certainly was polite, Isana noted. Let's see what he's got.

* * *

 **(A/N: Here's the end of chapter six! Sorry, this chapter was merely a lead up to Isana's date with Johan. The next chapter would be the actual date. Hmm, how well would it go, I wonder? There's not much else to say… Well, send me your thoughts, opinions, questions, anything you have on your mind, and thanks for reading!)**


	7. Low Spirits

**(A/N: Here's chapter seven. Enjoy!**

 **RimK10: Thanks for the review! I don't mind if you do fan art from my work. Sometimes I wish I could draw, so I can I have pictures of my fanfics on DeviantArt. And also I saw rose-gold hair and it's more of a blonde mixed pink than brown mixed pink. Isana is meant to have dark brown hair with streaks of bright pink. I just say pinkish-brown hair because it's easier than...saying all that.**

 **animagirl: Thanks for the review! I know what you mean. I used to have friends like that, but they gave up once they've figured I was more interested in my studies than boys.)**

* * *

Low Spirits

"My name is Johan Liebert. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Johan Liebert… Why did that name sound so familiar?

Realizing that he was still standing with his hand extended towards her, Isana's cheeks turned a light shade of pink in embarrassment.

"Isana Blum," she quickly replied. "It's nice to meet you too." She extended her own hand and clasped his, giving it a firm shake. She noticed how much paler his hand was compared to her lightly sun kissed one. His whole skin was a snow-white color, as if he's never been in the sun before.

However, to her surprise, instead of letting go of her hand like she wanted, Johan held it up to his lips and placed a feathery soft kiss upon it.

The action stunned Isana so much that she retracted her hand swiftly and held it to her chest. She heard a low 'thump' as her hand bumped against the blond's chin, and if it caused any discomfort, he didn't show it. He simply smiled at her in that charming way.

"S-sorry!" she apologized, hastily, her cheeks still a light hue of pink.

"No, I must apologize. If I knew it would startle you, I wouldn't have done such a thing," Johan replied. He went ahead and took a seat on the opposite of the booth.

He was right, it did startle her. She's been with men who straight up try to flirt with her in any way possible here or in Konoha, but none of them actively tried to kiss her hand before, like some prince charming or something.

When Isana took a glance at the attire he was wearing, she felt complete discomfiture. The blond was dressed in elegant white dress shirt and blue tie that was the same shade as his eyes, a light brown suit coat, a darker shade of brown dress pants, and expensive black shoes to tie off his fancy attire.

She stared down at her own choice of clothes, and felt utterly awkward. If she knew he was going to dress in such…extravagant clothing, she would've wore something more elegant.

The pinkish-brown haired woman knew she wore this simple green dress just to spite her potential date, but that was only because she thought he would show up in simple t-shirt and jeans, not in an expensive suit.

Johan noticed the pinkness of Isana's face when she gazed at both of their attire and chuckled. "Don't mind my choice of clothes."

Isana didn't say anything and simply nodded her head.

Just then, a waitress walked up to their booth. Her emerald eyes rolled as she saw the way the waitress's face turned a shade of red as she took shy, quick glances at Johan when she asked them their orders.

As much as she felt annoyed, Isana also felt a sense of nostalgia. It reminded her of Sasuke and the way other girls gravitated towards him and try to flirt with him. Of course, she felt aggravated by it, but it was out of jealousy, not pure annoyance.

The only thing missing though, is Naruto's spiteful jealousy of all the attention Sasuke receives, despite being an arrogant asshole.

"May I ask what is so funny?"

Isana glanced up to see her date staring at her, curiously, his chin resting under his clasped hands.

"Oh!" she almost gasped out. She didn't notice she was laughing. "I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

Brown eyebrows furrowed in a mix of sadness and delight. "I-I don't want to talk about it. Memories of the past is all… A long forgotten past," she muttered under her breath.

"Well, why don't we order our meals? What would you like, Isana?" he asked, his graceful smile never leaving, causing her to wonder if that smile of his is permanently plastered on his face.

Isana opened the menu and scanned the different meals. "I'll have the chicken alfredo and caesar salad."

"Just a fettuccine alfredo for me, please," Johan stated, sending the waitress a gentle smile.

The waitress blushed. "A-and what would you like to drink?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"Water."

"Mint tea."

"I'll get your orders right away." She left to place their orders.

When the waitress left, Isana felt slightly awkward when all the tension was drawn back to her. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt in agitation.

"So what are you studying in school?" the blond asked her, politely trying to start a conversation.

Isana smiled. "I'm studying health and psychology. I'm planning to build my own children's hospital once I'm done with college." Quite honestly, she could've built her own hospital by now. She _was_ the second best medical-nin of the whole Five Great Nations.

And quite frankly, these college classes and lectures were a total waste of time. It takes over eight to ten years to learn all these materials for medicine and health. Hell, it's only a select portion of health they are studying! Ten years of medical school just learn how to treat a _single_ part of the human body?! It only took her two and a half years to learn the whole human body and how to treat _every single portion_ , from first aid to curing poison and performing elaborate surgeries.

Honestly, going to school was a waste of time for her because it's just a repeat of what she already knew, but, apparently, she needed a doctor's license. Without a license, she isn't allowed to practice medicine. And to get a license, she needed the ten years of pointless lectures.

Isana sighed, displeased.

"Is something wrong?"

Emerald eyes glanced up to see the blond gazing at her in concern.

"Oh, nothing. I just wish I can start on that program. The sooner, the better." She placed her hands on the table and leaned over in interest.

"So? What about you, Johan?"

"I am majoring in law, but right now I'm taking a break," Johan answered.

"Why do you want to study law?" Isana questioned, trying to keep the conversation going.

The waitress came back with their drinks, placing the water next to Isana and the tea by Johan's side.

"Thank you." When he sent her a gracious smile, the waitress blushed as she left.

Isana rolled her eyes snatching her cup out of mild irritation and taking a small sip of her water.

"So? Why law?"

"I'm studying the Children's Rights Treaty for the protection of children against abuse," Johan answered, sincerely taking drink of his tea.

The pinkish-brown haired woman tsked and shook her head. "I could never get into politics. It's so boring!" she groaned.

The blond chuckled. "Well, it's not for everyone." His blue eyes stared deep into her emerald eyes. Did she see something flash across them? Now that she thought about it, she has been getting a weird vibe from him. However, his charming nature and charismatic attitude is very distracting.

"Could I be honest with you?" He leaned forward, his gaze never leaving hers. "We've met once before. Nine years ago, in fact."

"Nine years ago?" Isana blinked in confusion before her eyes widened in realization. Johan's smile seemed to grow slightly bigger when he saw the glimmer of recognition flash across her eyes. "Oh! You're that little boy Dr. Tenma operated on. Wow! I must admit you've grown to a very handsome man."

"And you are more lovely than I thought you'll be. To be honest when your friends asked me to date you, I was quite thrilled, despite all the negative warnings about you."

Isana's eyes narrowed in vexation. "What did they say about me? I hope Laura and Amelie didn't mention anything horrifyingly embarrassing," she groaned out, aggravated.

The waitress came back with their orders. She placed their respective meals by their side and left, not before giving shy, flirty glances at Johan.

"Nothing in particular. Just that you were irritable and intolerant… That you are very picky of the men you date."

"Seriously," Isana huffed in annoyance, angrily taking a bite of her food. "Those girls need to mind their own business."

The blond laughed slightly in amusement. "It's quite alright. Actually, it made me more interested in meeting you." He took a sip of his tea. After he set the cup down, he gazed into her eyes in such a loving way. "May I tell you a secret?"

The pinkish-brown haired tilted her head in curiosity. "What?"

"I've always wanted to get acquainted with you ever since I saw you at the Eisler Memorial Hospital. I remember the books you used to read to me. My favorite reading was that of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Your voice was very enchanting."

Isana's cheeks flushed light pink in color. "Thank you for the compliment."

She twirled her chicken alfredo in her fork and popped it in her mouth, chewing slowly and savoring the taste.

"May I ask you what your views of the world are?" Johan asked, staring at her with such intensity in his eyes as if he deeply wanted to know.

She stopped mid chew and glanced out him, puzzled by his question. She swallowed, getting ready to speak. "My worldview? Why?"

"I find you a really fascinating young woman and I like to know more about you, if you don't mind."

The smile from Isana's face disappeared and was replaced with the look of pure melancholia, nostalgia, and grief.

(FLASHBACK)

" _No matter what, someday I'll be Hokage!" A small, blond eight-year-old declared proudly as he jumped of the swing set._

 _A raven-haired boy around the same age as the blond scoffed indignantly at the other boy's provocative claim. "You have to be smart first, dobe."_

" _Shut up, teme!" Naruto pouted, childishly. "Stop making fun of me!"_

" _When you finally grow a brain, we'll see," Sasuke retorted._

 _A pink haired girl, the same age as two boys, stepped up in between them. "Would you guys stop fighting? Please!"_

 _Naruto's shoulders slumped in dejection. "Sorry, Sakura," he apologized._

 _Sasuke merely turned his head away, but judging by his posture and facial expression he felt sorry too._

 _Sakura beamed, brightly as she grabbed each of the boys' hands. "C'mon! Let's play on the monkey bars!"_

(END OF FLASHBACK)

"Did I say something to upset you?"

"Huh?" Emerald eyes glanced up to see Johan staring at her at in concern.

"You are crying," Johan elaborated. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I'm crying?" Pale hands reached up to touch her face to find out that it was wet. She was indeed crying. Why didn't she notice?

She abruptly got up from her chair.

"What's wr-?"

"Sorry, I've got to go!" Isana cut him off, running out of the restaurant.

She failed to notice the flash of tranquil malice across blue eyes as they watched her leave without warning.

* * *

Isana didn't stop running until she reached her apartment. She opened the door and closed it behind her, absentmindedly remembering to lock it. She raced towards her bedroom and laid down on the bed, crying her eyes out, not even bothering to change clothes.

Isana morbidly realized this is the first time she's cried since she was reincarnated into this world. Tears of loneliness, grief, and despair were pour out of her eye sockets. She has never felt so alone!

The pinkish-brown haired woman knew that she was the one who died. Madara killed her. But without Naruto or Sasuke here, it felt like they were killed instead of her. She missed them! She missed her friends! She missed her home! She wanted to return! She wanted to go back to Konoha, however, she knew that was impossible. In this world, the Leaf Village doesn't exist. It never did!

Isana thought she accepted her fate and that she had to move on. But she was wrong! She might tell herself that there's nothing she could do, but to face forward. Conversely, to be honest, if she had a chance, she would change her past in a heartbeat.

She bawled her eyes out even more, as she grudgingly understood that she'll never see Naruto or Sasuke again! No matter how much she wished to!

* * *

The next day, Isana decided to visit the park. A relaxing day at the park should hopefully clear her head of her long forgotten past.

She took out a medium sized pad of drawing paper and a pencil from her bag. She flipped the pad over until she reached the drawing of her, Naruto, and Sasuke holding hands.

Isana smiled tenderly at the picture. This was the day that they first became friends. It took a lot of effort for Naruto and Sasuke to befriend each other, and despite all their bickering, they can actually get along and work well together, like peanut butter and chocolate. She almost cooed at how adorable they all looked.

The pinkish-brown haired woman listened fondly to sounds of children laughing and playing out in the distance. It reminded her of the times she, Naruto, and Sasuke used to play and train together.

"I didn't know that you can draw."

Isana's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar soft spoken, male voice.

She turned her head and saw Johan approaching her with that same charming smile on his flawless, pale face.

"Drawing is something I do as I hobby," she answered thoughtfully, as Johan walked around the bench and sat next to her. "Started doing it a few years ago as a way of relaxing and remembering why I'm here."

Isana's face scrunched up in displeasure and contrite as she nervously tapped the pencil against the paper. "Sorry for running off like that. It must've felt humiliating to see your date run off on you like that."

The blond shook his head in what it seemed like resignation and understanding and sighed. "It's quite alright. It was probably rude of me to ask such a sensitive topic."

She shook her head so quickly, it almost felt like her neck snapped. "No, it wasn't your fault. I just…felt a little overwhelmed, you know?"

Johan eyed her drawing out of playful curiosity. "May I ask what you are drawing?"

Unconsciously, Isana held the notepad closer to her chest.

"I apologize for prying," the blond replied quickly, his eyebrows furrowed in sincere regret at asking such a private question.

"No, it's okay. I've just…never shown my art to anyone before," she responded nervously. "I don't know if it's good."

Johan chuckled, softly. "I won't laugh, if that's what you're worried about."

Unsure, Isana set the pad down, so that the blond could see the picture she drew of herself alongside Naruto and Sasuke.

"Who are they?" he asked, interested in the picture.

"Oh, they were my childhood friends," she answered, honestly. Johan took notice of the hint of despair and wistfulness in her voice. "Before they died, we were always together. It was the only time I was ever happy."

Isana's hands clenched around the paper, however, not to tightly as to damage the drawing. Then, she quietly gasped in surprise when felt the warmth of hand clasp around hers.

The pinkish-brown haired woman's emerald eyes gazed up in absolute amazement when she saw the overwhelming sympathy for her plight in the blond's blue orbs. She was too shock to respond as Johan gently snatched the drawing pad out of her hands.

He flipped through the notepad, his eyes scrutinizing each page. "You drew quite a collection of pictures of them."

Isana smiled. "Yeah, it might sound silly, but it helps me remember them. My memories of them are all I have, so I draw those pictures to keep the memories alive, in a sense."

Johan shook his head. "It's not silly, at all." He paused for a second. "Come with me."

"To where?" she asked, confused.

"I want to show you a wonderful sight." He sent her an alluring smile. "It might not be much, but it should bring joy to your heart."

Isana merely nodded dumbly, as she fastened her hand around his held out one.

* * *

The walk was quiet and nerve wrecking. Isana wondered where Johan was taking her as they walked through the woods. She opened her mouth to question him, but then closed it when she saw him looking at her in that captivating way of his, causing her to turn away, blushing. He sure knew how to use his looks to charm the pants off a woman.

However, the pinkish-brown haired woman stood shell-shocked at the scenery before her. Johan walked forward, hands clasped behind his back.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it, Isana?" he spoke with such gentleness in his soft voice.

He was right, it was a beautiful sight. The flowers danced gracefully in the gentle breeze. The rainbow colors of various flowers shined like glistering gemstones under the brilliant sunlight. The position of the sun over the river made the water sparkle gorgeously. The shimmering of the water and the swaying flowers… It was beautiful sight indeed!

Tears were pouring out of Isana's eyelids. But this time, they were tears of happiness and joy. None of the men she dated never romanced her the way Johan did right now.

Johan smiled, almost triumphantly when he saw the unyielding euphoric tears streaming down Isana's face. She even missed the slight curve of his lips as he grinned in a subdued, twisted way.

He had her right where he wanted her!

* * *

 **(A/N: That's the end of chapter seven! Did you enjoy it? At first, Johan was such a difficult character to write. And he still is… When I was writing his dialogue, it felt awkward and weird. We all know, at least those of us who've seen Monster, that Johan is a cold, manipulative, sociopath. But there are times where he acts 'nice'. And it those lines and moments of 'niceness' that always caught me off guard when first watching the series. Although, he's a great actor and a compulsive liar. However, it's just a ruse to get on a person's good side until he uses and discards them, like trash. Every human being, besides Anna and Temna, are nothing more than tools to use when necessary for Johan.** **He gets on a person's good side then kills them with words alone, breaking them until they feel so worthless and hopeless about their life that end up committing suicide. Words hurt, oh so, _very_ much. Mind rape is Johan's M.O. to kill people. ****I guess, another weird thing is to write a villain that is _so_ polite and sophisticated. When Johan speaks, he's always so polite, intelligent, charismatic, sophisticated, and a little old fashioned. I've never heard him curse, and I've watched Monster both subbed and dubbed [by the way, I like the dubbed better]. The closest I've seen him curse is saying 'damn', but that may or may not be a mistranslation of the subtitles. I really hope that Isana realizes Johan is using her before it's too late. Even so, Isana will not be taken down so easily. **

**I've noticed that in reincarnation fanfics, authors don't explore the psychological effects waking up in a new world can have on a person, especially if they still remember their past life. The characters, most of the time, tend to be all happy and cheery, as if dying and being reborn is an everyday occurrence. Well, the psychological effects of being reborn is one of things I'm going to be exploring with Isana/Sakura since Monster is a series that dwells into the human psyche. Isana is going to be the type of person that struggles to move on from her past, specifically her past life as Sakura Haruno. It's her greatest strength and also her most notable weakness.**

 **Thanks for reading and leave your comments and questions in a review!)**


	8. A Glimpse in Darkness

**(A/N: Here's chapter eight! All I can say is that this is where things start to go downhill for Isana. Can she handle it? Let's find out. Enjoy!**

 **RimK10: Yep! Everytime Johan shows up, I fear something terrible would happen. Honestly, the only thing that is saving Isana from Johan's manipulations is her past life training as a kunoichi and that includes training in the art of deception. Without that, she would have instantly fell for Johan's tricks, like a lamb to a slaughter. And also I would love to see the fan art once you're done, and Isana hasn't forgotten Ino. Ino just isn't as important to her as Naruto and Sasuke. And if noticed from the last chapter, there's going to be some AU concerning Isana's/Sakura's past.)**

* * *

A Glimpse in Darkness

"So… How did your date go?"

Isana took a sip of the wine she was drinking before glancing over to Amelie. Her cheeks turned a light hue of pink as she fidgeted and twirled her fingertip around the rim of the glass.

Laura smiled at the expression of shy tenderness on her friend's face. "I take it, it went well then."

"Okay, I got to admit, for once, you guys were right," Isana replied, smiling. "I had a great time with Johan the other day. He was charming and sweet… Better than the assholes you tried to hook me up with before."

"So? What did you guys do?" Laura asked, interested as she leaned forward.

"We just had dinner and talked," Isana answered, truthfully. She took another sip of her wine. "However…"

"However?" Amelie inquired, arching a curious brow.

The pinkish-brown haired woman cheeks turned a light pink in embarrassment. "I sort of…ran off on him in the middle of our date."

The answer caused Laura, who was drinking scotch, spit out her drink out of pure shock and bewilderment at what she just heard. "You ran off on him?!" Her disoriented and frantic voice exploded. She slapped her hand to her forehead in utter disappointment. "We set you up with a hot, nice guy, perhaps the nicest guy in the world, and you go and ruin it! Seriously, do you want to be alone forever?"

"Shut up, Laura, and let me finish!" Isana hissed out, angrily. She sighed, trying to calm herself down. "Yeah, I ditched him. But then we met in the park and he showed me the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. It was absolutely breathtaking!" she finished, dreamily.

"Oh!" Amelie cooed. "Are you going to go on another date with Johan?" she asked, eagerly.

Isana shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't decided."

"You haven't decided? Have you, at least, called him?"

"Um, no…"

Laura took out her phone, causing Isana to turn towards her, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What are you doing?" the pinkish-brown haired woman asked, a dangerous edge in her voice.

Ignoring her, Laura finished dialing the number on her cell phone and held it up to her ear. She tapped her fingers against the counter as she waited for the receiver to pick up.

"Hi, Johan."

Isana almost immediately tried to jump her, however, she was held back by Amelie. Her screams of protest were completely muffled by Amelie's hand.

"Johan, listen, Isana would like to go on another date with you."

The woman's protests became louder as she struggled against Amelie's strong grip, frantically trying to reach for Laura's phone.

"Yeah, she's just a little shy…"

Isana managed to break out of Amelie's grip and snatched the phone out of Laura's hands.

"Hello, Johan."

"Isana? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me…" She paused for a second, ignoring the anxious glares the girls were sending her. "Listen, sorry for disturbing. My friend can be an idiot at times."

"Hey!"

Ignoring Laura's protest, she heard chuckling on the other line. "It's no trouble. She proposed that we go another date."

"Um, you don't have to go on another date with me," the pinkish-brown woman replied, nervously. "I'm sure you are busy."

"No, I'm not that busy," the blond answered without a beat. "Are you free Saturday, Isana?"

A smile spread across her face. "Yes…"

"Meet by the park by three."

"Sure!"

Afterwards, she hung up the phone and handed it to Laura.

"So?" she egged on, barely containing her excitement. "What did he say?"

"He said 'yes'," Isana replied, as if it was no big deal, despite her growing anxiety. Why does it feel like she was forgetting? Something important?

The girls cooed, excitedly.

The pinkish-brown haired woman glanced innocently at her two giggling friends. "Oh, and by the way…" She sent two swift blows to their abdomens, causing them to double over in pain. "Mind your own damn business!" She left the bar, not before sending the two writhing women a death glare.

* * *

When Isana opened the door to her house, she almost tensed, her muscles stiffening in anticipation. Someone was here… Someone was in her house just mere moments ago.

With all senses on high alert, she slowly stalked around every corner of her apartment, hoping to catch the preparator before they caught her.

It seems that whoever was here, snooping around her home, had already left. Why would someone be in her house? What could they possible be searching for?

Isana searched her room because that was primarily where she kept all her important documents and personal belongings, from medical research and observations to her drawings of Team Seven.

Everything seemed…untouched and in order. In fact, the whole apartment seemed like it was visited by a ghost. However, she knows for a fact that someone was here! Every fiber of her being is warning her to stay on high alert.

She sighed, as she diligently sorted through all her pictures. Shockingly, there was one picture missing! She scrambled, frantically examining through the photos, desperately looking for it.

"Oh, god…! Where is it? Where is it?!" The picture that was missing was her most important portrait. It was a drawing of when she, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha first became official genins of Konoha under the guidance of their jonin teacher, Kakashi Hatake. She put more time and detail into that particular drawing than any of the other ones. It was her favorite!

Her shoulders slouched and her hands trembled. A flood of emotions was burning inside her. Anger. Sadness. Emptiness. Loss. Anguish. Heartache. So many painful, indescribable, jumbled up emotions. She drew many pictures, but that picture… It was the one where she looked for solace when she felt lonely and miserable at times.

Out of rage and frustration, Isana punched her wall, barely making a mental note not to break it. She wouldn't know how parents will feel about her reporting that she tore down her wall.

Her teeth gritted as hot, angry tears streamed down her face. Why? Why would anyone want that picture? Would significance could they gain from it, other than to cause her great emotional pain? For whatever, she'll find the bastard and kill him for stealing what's precious to her!

She sniveled as her eyes trailed up the wall. Her eyes widened when she noticed the calendar and the date circled on it. The fifth of May, the day Team Seven became official. And the day where she would pay her respects. And it was this Saturday! How could she forget something so dear to her?

Then she remembered another crucial problem. Her date with Johan was also this Saturday! She sighed. Oh, well… Guess, she'll just have to cancel it. Johan was a great guy, but this was more important to her.

Emerald eyes glanced over to her clock, which read 'nine-thirty p.m.'. It was pretty late, and she didn't want to seem rude and call him in the middle of the night. She simply opted to call him tomorrow after class. She just hoped that he'll be very understanding and wouldn't take her canceling their date too hard or personal.

* * *

After class, Isana slipped past the crowd and hid behind a building. She needed to make this phone call quick before Laura and Amelie show up.

She took out her phone from her purse. She flipped it up open, her fingers already pressing the buttons of Johan's numbers, having memorized them from Laura's phone the other day.

The pinkish-brown haired woman held the phone to her ear as she anxiously waited for the blond to pick up.

"Hello?"

She could almost smile in relief when she heard Johan's soft voice. Though she dismissed it because this wasn't the time to feel at ease.

"Um, Johan?"

"What is it, Isana?" Johan asked, politely.

There was no time to stall. She needed to make this fast while she's still resolved to do this. "Listen, I'm sorry to say this, but I have to cancel our date Saturday."

There was a short pause. "May I know why?" He almost sounded upset.

"I-I just can't. I've got something else I need to do." Isana couldn't really explain something so personal. This is her problem, her burden to deal with. And she didn't want to bother him with her problems.

"I see…" Did he sound disappointed? She felt kind of bad, but mourning her loss was more important than her date with him. "Maybe we can reschedule."

Isana smiled at how understanding Johan is. He isn't taking the cancellation too hard. "Sure, I'll check my schedule to find out when I'm free and call you back."

"I'm looking forward to our next meeting, Isana." The phone clicked off as Johan hung up. Brown eyebrows curled downward in confusion. Did his voice become dark? Did she detect a hint of possessiveness in his calming voice?

She sighed, an unpleasant burden was lifted off her shoulders. For now...

* * *

The rest of the week was uneventful, besides Laura's and Amelie's annoying hissy fit about her withdrawing her date with Johan, nothing much has happened. Nothing exceedingly dangerous and unnerving as someone breaking into her apartment.

It wasn't long before Saturday came by. Sakura was in the kitchen making homemade ramen and rice balls, Naruto's and Sasuke's respective favorite foods. Since Japanese food are so rarely made here in Germany, she opted to make her own out of groceries she bought a few days ago. Since this was a special occasion and held an emotional value to her so she only made them once a year in memory of Sasuke and Naruto. Once she finished, she packed the ramen and rice balls into two separate containers.

She was dressed in a black mini dress. The pinkish-brown haired woman carefully placed them into her duffel bag. The bag was black with neon pink rims around the sides and strap. She slung the bag over her shoulder.

Isana stepped out of her house and locked the door behind. She stiffened, her body tensed up in alarm. Someone was watching her! Her emerald eyes were on full alert, as she glanced around, waiting for an ambush to happen.

A few seconds and nothing went by. However, that didn't stop the uneasiness she felt. Hmph! If this bastard wanted to spy on her, let him. She was a proud kunoichi, former kunoichi. She wouldn't back down from anything!

* * *

Isana walked deep into the forest within the park. The sun was blazing through the clouds of the sky. The day was beautiful, but her mood was the complete opposite. It seems like her assailant was still following her. Emerald eyes glanced around the trees. They narrowed in suspicion when she saw a figure trying to hide behind the bushes. Heh! Amateur…

Once Isana found a secluded, shaded spot away from city life, she dropped down her bag and got on her knees in prayer. She wasn't one for religion, but she often prayed for Naruto's and Sasuke's safety every year. Did Naruto finally become Hokage? Did he and Sasuke finally create a families of their own? What about everybody else? Did Lady Tsunade retire? Was Kakashi-sensei teaching a new batch of genins. And what about Ino? Did she take over her father's position of the T&I? So many questions that would never be answered.

This was only time of the year where she reflects on her past life. She knew that most people would probably deem this, a twenty-four-year-old woman yearning for something unattainable, unhealthy, conversely though, it was the only time she allowed herself to grief about her woes.

The pinkish-brown haired woman pulled out a scented candle out of her black duffle bag along with a match. She lit the candle and the scent of jasmine filled the air.

Isana took out the lunch she made from the bag. She cracked the handmade chopsticks she created and began to methodically feast upon her meal. She listened to the chirping of the birds as they flocked together trying to find a meal. Funny how the sky and earth looks the same as in her old world, but their stench was entirely different.

For example, no matter how deep she went inside the woods, the smell of gasoline still contaminated the aerospace. The atmosphere back home was more crisp and fresh, incredibly relaxing. She missed the fragrance of stands filled with baked goods, the sound of children running around, playing ninja, and most of all the unity the citizens of Konoha shared. Unlike her beloved village, there's no unity here. Everyone here is so individualistic and immensely invested in their own self-interest that they wouldn't care about the lives of people they don't deem their equal. She learned that by the way the old Director of the Eisler Memorial Hospital, Dr. Heinemann, valued political power over the lives of his patients. It's the like the Will of Fire, the strength to protect and the will to overcome adversity, or, as Naruto would put, the determination to never give up, never existed.

But the Will of Fire still burned strongly inside the pinkish-brown haired woman's heart. It's what links her to Sasuke, Naruto, and the rest of the Leaf Village. No matter what, she truly believed her bonds with them would be forever engraved in her heart and that not even death could make her forget them. She had accepted this as why she regained her memories of her past. It may be the reason for her pain, but it also gave her the strength and perseverance to keep moving forward. She was raised a strong, independent, righteous woman, and she'll go out as one.

Isana finished her ramen and rice balls. It didn't taste as great as it did back home, but it will suffice. It could be because the ingredients she used to make them were different than the one her old village produced.

She crossed her legs as she got ready to meditate. She absentmindedly noted that her 'company' was still spying on her. If he was going to attack her, then do it already! Then again, she'll probably sense him coming a mile away. He's probably smart for laying low. However, what was he spying on her for? What was he hoping to gain by observing her? Was he the one who broke into her home and stole her prized drawing? That thought alone was enough to make her blood boil. She took a deep breath to calm herself and keep herself from acting irrational.

Meditating always had a soothing effect on the woman. Back when chakra still existed to her, it was a way to concentrate and help control her chakra. Now, it was one to hone her senses, and it was a great way for her to relax.

Isana meditated well into the late hours of the night. Her spy left her alone hours ago, probably figuring out he won't get anymore intel out of a girl who's just sitting around, doing nothing.

She blew out her scented candle and since it still felt unusually warm, she packed it inside one of her containers. The pinkish-brown haired woman stuffed her materials inside her black duffel bag. She flung the bag over her shoulder and proceeded to head home.

* * *

The walk home was quiet. Perhaps it's because people were either safe inside their homes or out late drinking after a hard day's work.

She marched up the stairs to her apartment. When she reached her door, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door.

There weren't any signs of an impending threat, so Isana simply headed to her room. She threw the bag on top of desk, and swiftly changed into a hot pink nightgown. She laid down in her bed and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Isana eyes popped open in an instant, as she flipped out her bed in a panic just in time to see a glint of silver impale her bed.

"What the hell?" she whispered out, as her initial panic died down and her face settled into a usual, or unusual, battle ready expression as she glared at the two shadowy assailants, who invaded her home, much less her _bedroom_.

One of them went to retrieve the knife that was stuck to the bed while their partner tried to restrain her. Her attacker's movement were incredibly clumsy as Isana easily sidestepped her, and kick the back of her knee, watching in satisfaction as they fell flat on their face, moaning in pain.

These intruders were pathetic. She could easily kill them, and she would have by now, if not for standard issue of 'murder is bad' in this world. Killing anyone under any circumstance is deemed morally wrong in this world and extremely taboo. She could almost scoff at the notion. Nevertheless, she could partially understand the reason for such a damnation against taking another's life. Society wants to keep children as pure, innocent, and ignorant as possible, and overlapping with the fact that this isn't a military empowered world with supernatural entities and magic with children growing up thinking war is glorious and being turned into child soldiers, expecting fight and defend their home village, it makes it more understandable of why murder is considered awful and despicable.

The pinkish-brown haired woman dodged an oncoming attack from behind by elbowing her assailant in the gut, causing them to double over in pain, dropping the knife to ground with a loud 'clank'.

If she couldn't kill them, then knocking them out and leaving them at some alley for the police to find is the next best option she has.

"Damn! How long does take to kill her? We won't get our money at this rate!" her enemy seethed out in anger and frustration, as they tried to stand up.

Isana's emerald eyes widened in shock and betrayal as she recognized the intruder's voice. It was Laura's!

Her surprising moment of disbelief was enough for Laura to knock her off her feet and climb on top of her, hands clasped around her neck, attempting to strangle her to death.

The pinkish-brown haired woman noticed from her peripheral vision as her attacker, she already identified as Amelie since Laura was here choking her to death, had the knife poised and ready in case she somehow escaped the latter's deadly grip.

"I'm sorry, Isana, but if we do this, me and Amelie would become filthy, stinking rich!" Laura exclaimed, lips twisting upwards in a maniacal glee at the thought of the reward she'll receive by doing such a dirty deed. All they had to do was kill Isana and they could live a life of luxury.

"Please, don't take this personally, Isana," Amelie add in with a hint of remorse. "But money is money, and we can finally live the luxurious life we've always dreamed! Having a rich husband, being showered in riches, and living a carefree life."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Isana hissed out through gritted teeth, her rage boiling inside her. Her hands grabbed onto Laura's wrist, painfully tightening her grip, causing the latter to gasp in pain as she was feeling her bones crack under pressure. "You think that you can simply betray and kill a friend because it's convenient and the easy way to life?! You girls are pathetic, desperate bitches! I'll teach you, little snots, that you picked the wrong person to mess with!"

Isana flipped Laura over and she crashed into Amelie, making them smash into the wall with a painful 'thud'. She picked up the knife that the latter dropped during the assault. She skillfully flipped the blade in the air, catching it with every turn, watching in twisted satisfaction as both of her so-called friends started quivering in fear.

"H-hey! Put down the knife, Isana," Laura pleaded, desperately. "You don't want to murder your friends, do you?"

"Friends?" Isana let out a soft giggle. "Friends, you say?" Her laughter grew louder. It started to sound like a cross between bubbly hysteria and madness. Her laughter quickly died down and was replaced with an explosive rage. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME WITH THAT SHIT!" she bellowed out, her voice alone nearly shaking the room.

Laura and Amelie huddled against the wall in terror and panic, extremely fearful for their lives. Tears started to form against their eyelids as Isana approached them with every step.

"You guys stopped being my friends the moment you traded my life for your own personal interests. Friends don't sell each other out for something as petty as a 'get rich quick' scheme. Friends don't conspire against one another. Friends don't abandon each other. _You guys are not my friends_!"

Tears were now prominently streaming down Laura's and Amelie's faces in an overflowing river of salty water filled with overwhelming fear, horror, and apprehension.

Isana lips twisted into a cruel smile. "I know of a way that you girls can repay me. Time for a little…experiment."

* * *

"Two dead bodies, sir."

The police surrounded a secluded, dark alleyway where two corpses of women in their mid-twenties were found. One had brown hair another was blonde.

"Have you identified their names?"

"Yes… They are Laura Freeman and Amelie Weber."

A policeman kneeled next to the bodies, taking not of the faces twisted in agony and terror along with the bruises around the arms and legs. A couple of the limbs were twisted in an odd angle.

"It seems like they were beaten pretty badly, suffered a couple of broken bones." Upon closer expectation, he noticed a needle in each of the girls' throats. "What is this?"

At the sound of his confusion, another police officer stepped up, staring at the tiny, thin metal sticking out the corpses' necks.

"Isn't that the time of needle doctors use to stitch wounds. Or maybe even acupunctures use in their operations. Do you think this is related to middle aged couples' murder cases?"

"I don't know…"

They both stared at the motionless girls with faces filled with pity.

"Poor girls… To think they got mixed up in this psychopath's twisted games."

* * *

 **(A/N: That's the end of chapter eight! I hope you enjoyed it! Now, Isana sees how easy it is for people to betray each other for their own self-interests. Never mess with Isana/Sakura people! She's a formerly trained ninja! Monster is sort of a deconstruction of how humans are flawed and what makes a person a complete monster. Now, Isana has her own reasons to join in the Johan case. The next chapter, though, will focus on another character of the series, Detective Lunge. It might take awhile though. Next to Johan, he's the second most difficult character to write, at least to me. Sometimes, I wonder… Was Johan truly 'okay' that Isana cancelled their date just so she can do her annual mourning of her childhood friends? Well, not much else to say, besides leave any comments, suggestions, or questions you have in a review and thanks for reading!)**


	9. Double Duty

**(A/N: Here's chapter nine. This one features Detective Lunge. Quite honestly, I've never really liked him. I found him infuriatingly annoying. But now… he's okay once I understood his character more and his motivations. Well, enjoy!**

 **I just want to say before we get started, thanks for everyone's reviews! I can quite say that, honestly, the reason I started this fanfic was to promote more Monster and get more people to watch the anime or read the manga [doesn't matter which, the anime follows the manga, panel to panel]. I just couldn't believe an incredibly good series was _so_ underrated. I'm glad my story is helping people to get interested in Monster. So thanks a lot!)**

* * *

Double Duty

"So these are the photos of the two girls that were murdered?"

A man in his late forties, possibly early fifties, examining the alleyway where the two women's corpses were the day before. He had a stern face with sharp eyes and a pointed nose. He examined the photos of the recently deceased girls.

"Yes, Detective Lunge," a police officer answered. "We have no idea who the culprit is, but whoever it was must have had quite a grudge against them to leave their bodies mangled and bruised like that."

Detective Lunge's fingers twitched rapidly and methodically, as if typing on an imaginary keyboard. It was one of the few quirks the BKA inspector does to 'input' information into his brain.

"I heard that there was a surgical needle inserted into each of the victims' necks," he inquired, trying to confirm the statements he heard from the local officials.

"Yes, we believe that the needle was ultimately the cause of death."

Lunge kept typing on an imaginary keyboard, processing all the information. "Did they have any relatives or close friends in the area? Anyone they may have been acquainted with?"

The police man paused for a second, his mind deep in thought. "The women did attend Munster University, and, according to some of the students there, there were three girls that always hung together. Laura Freeman and Amelie Weber, the victims, and Isana Blum."

The BKA inspector's eyes twitched and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Isana Blum, huh…" Thanks to his typing mechanism, the inspector had an extraordinary memory. He remembered the doctors of the Eisler Memorial Hospital stating that Dr. Kenzo Tenma had an intern under the name Isana Blum. He also saw her at the Director's funeral, but paid her no mind because she was just a little girl at the time. It was highly improbable for a kid to commit murder, let alone have access to muscle relaxant poison, nor be uncannily intelligent enough to place them in candies without knowing who will eat them.

However, that was nine years ago. She's not a child anymore. She's an adult, a young adult. He wasn't sure what she is capable of now, but this time he wouldn't take any chances. Two people, who were, coincidentally, close friends with Isana Blum were murdered.

The inspector believed that this was no coincidence that Isana was involved. After all, she was Dr. Tenma's former intern. And the good doctor was a prime suspect himself in a much bigger case involving the deaths of the hospital staff members and the middle-aged couples all across Germany.

Lunge wondered, could these three death incidents be connected, and is it possible that Isana is the doctor's accomplice? It's highly probable. Conversely though, he can't jump into any rash conclusions. He wasn't sure if this case is actually connected with the other two.

First of all, the way the victims' bodies were left mangled meant that the culprit beat them half to death, displaying rage and anger in their violence. Although, the needle insertion showed signs of cold calculation and deadly precision, no signs of any strong emotions that were exhibited previously, almost like the culprit's anger vanished before dealing the final blow. And killing a person with a _single_ surgical needle was highly difficult, he believed. A person would have to hit a precise and _certain_ imperative area in the neck in order to deal a fatal blow. And that in itself, just knowing exactly what area to hit, would be _extremely_ challenging.

Lunge was typing away at his 'keyboard', certifying all the various possibilities. "Where does Isana live?"

* * *

Lunge stepped inside Isana's apartment to find it nearly empty, meaning she must have packed her bags and left. This was beginning to make her a prime suspect in Laura Freeman's and Amelie Weber's murders. Only the culprit would try to escape guilt. And judging by the state of the house, it looks like it was freshly cleaned before she packed her bags, meaning she probably left this morning after breakfast. The smell of bacon and fried eggs was still lingering in the air.

Lunge's sharp, calculating eyes studied every corner of the apartment. There was no family portraits or pictures, meaning Isana either wasn't really close to her family or she took them all down.

The inspector walked into the room, which he expected to be Isana's bedroom. The furniture in the room was sparse. Just a king size bed, a drawer, a small table with a computer on top, and a chair. He went in and opened her closet to find it, surprisingly, full of clothes. This meant that she never really left or she was packing light, extremely light for someone on the run.

Lunge's eyes narrowed. This woman really seems like she knows what she's doing a little _too_ well. A near empty apartment with nothing of her personality shown whatsoever and a closet full of clothes. Most women her age would think of packing everything they have, but this woman didn't. And he didn't know why, that's what bothered him.

He started typing away with his fingers as he contemplated Isana's next move. If she moved out, where was she heading? Who was her next victim? He didn't know enough of her personality to make any conclusions.

The inspector put on gloved fingers as he inspected every aspect of the bedroom. This was Isana's room… There must be something in here that could be used as a clue.

He searched the room thoroughly, not missing a single spot. There was a fight here… The room may look utterly clean and spotless, however, there were signs of a struggle. First off, the bed was slightly slanted on one side. Upon closer examination, one of the bedposts was broken and was looked hastily fixed with perhaps super glue and adhesive tape. And there were tiny splinters of wood on the ground. There was a small struggle, but it quickly turned one sided in a blink of an eye, meaning the assailants were swiftly overpowered, much to their surprise. No, they were utterly shocked and stunned, even perhaps a little terrified at what or who they were dealing with.

Judging by the state the bodies were found last night and the state of the room, Isana was asleep when Laura and Amelie barged into her room. Lunge unrolled the blanket off the bed, only to discover a deep gash within the bed. Yep, Isana was definitely sleeping when her attackers came to murder her. She must've woken up mere moments from death.

Just then, Lunge's phone rang. He reached into his coat pocket to take out his phone. He held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"S-sir!" the voice on the phone was a mixture of apprehensive fear and dreadful surprise.

"What is it?" Lunge egged on, his voice as sharp as a knife.

"Inspector Lunge, you need to come to the hospital quick! Those two girls, Laura Freeman and Amelie Weber… Th-they're alive! _They're alive_!"

Lunge was confused. He didn't understand. How can someone who was dead fifteen hours ago turn out alive? Not to mention that their heartbeats were completely shut off. There was no pulse. Even if they were in a coma, they would still have a pulse, no matter what. But there was no pulse! They were _dead_! _It's impossible_!

His fingers rapidly started typing once again, processing this new and unsettling information. Was it even possible to put a person in a _temporary_ death state?

"Where are they?" he questioned, trying to keep his voice as calm and composed as possible, despite his growing anxiety.

"They are at the local clinic," the police officer answered.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Lunge hung up the phone. He glanced around the room one more time. Isana Blum… Where did she go?

* * *

Lunge stepped inside the Munster Clinic and walked up to the receptionist.

She smiled up at him. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'm looking for Laura Freeman and Amelie Weber. Which room is theirs?"

"Their room is right across the hall, but they are extremely shocked from the experience. It's best that you wait for a nurse to escort you. I'll call one up for you. You wait here until someone comes."

"Thank you…"

Inspector Lunge walked into the lobby and sat on a nearby chair.

* * *

A couple of hours passed before a nurse strode towards him. "Are you Inspector Lunge?"

The inspector stood up from his chair. "Yes, I am," he spoke firmly.

"You are here for Laura Freeman and Amelie Weber, correct?"

"Yes."

"Follow me and keep in mind that you must be as discreet as possible. The girls are still in shock from their terrifying experience."

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied, almost robotically.

When the nurse opened the door to the not-so-dead women's room, she let out a shrill scream. The two girls were…dead! How was it possible? They were alive just mere hours ago.

"Someone help!" The nurse immediately ran off without a second thought, alerting the hospital staff of their deaths.

Although, Lunge himself stalked inside the room, looking for any evidence for the cause of death _this_ time. His sharp eyes narrowed when he spotted an empty candy wrapper. He knew what that meant… These women were poisoned.

The use of poisoned candy… Lunge was now sure more than ever that this case was connected to Eisler Memorial Hospital Director's and middle aged couple murder cases.

The only question… What was the culprit's motive for killing them? What was their next move?

Lunge's lips twisted up into an amusing smirk.

This was turning out to be an interesting case.

* * *

 **(A/N: That's the end of chapter nine! I've hoped you enjoyed it. This chapter was sort of an introduction of Lunge into the story. I feel like I OOCed him, and if I did, I'm sorry. I'll try better next time. And also, don't know how many times Lunge would appear in the story, but he is an important supporting character, so just know he's here. The next chapter will focus on Johan. It'll be a recap of chapters four through eight from Johan's perspective. I was going to avoid showing any chapters from Johan's POV because I wanted to keep the fact that he's the villain a secret, but then I thought… What the hell am I thinking? Everyone knows Johan's the 'titular' monster of the series. It's been established since episode four and anyone who's seen Monster knows that. Plus, I've said it several times throughout my author's notes, so why am I trying to hide the fact that Johan's the villain? I don't know… Either I'm overthinking things because I'm trying not to spoil the series [Monster is an underrated anime/manga, after all] or I'm just stupid.**

 **Anyway, like I said, the next chapter will focus on Johan. I can just say that honestly I don't even know Johan's true motivation for all the irredeemable horrors he committed in the anime, and I've watched the anime four times and read the mange twice. It seems like he just caused destruction everywhere he goes just for the hell of it. The only thing that may be a motivation for his crimes is that Johan's trying to destroy everything that caused his twin sister, Anna/Nina, to suffer, including himself.** _ **Maybe**_ **. Johan's motivations for his horrific crimes is up for grabs. Everyone has their own ideas of what Johan's goal was, if he ever had any. This is just mine.**

 **Oh, and yes... As you can see Isana/Sakura is able to put a person in temporary death state. And since she didn't, technically, kill them, she shouldn't be charged for murder. I've figured that this is best Isana can do since killing is prohibited, just knock them unconscious in any way she can. And using surgical needles aimed at a victim's vital spot to induce a temporary death state... I figured that out after remembering Haku _seemingly_ killing Zabuza by aiming senbon needles at the vital points of his neck. And since Isana was once a medical ninja, she should know all the vital points in the human body and how to hit each points to induce the appropriate effect, whether she wants to knock someone out or kill them in single, bloodless hit.**

 **Thanks for reading and please leave any comments, suggestions, or questions you have in a review and I'll see you next chapter!)**


	10. A Monster's Interest

**(A/N: Here's chapter ten. I feel like this story will end up way longer than I anticipated. I thought it'll only be fifteen to twenty chapters, but it's only been ten chapters and I'm** _ **still**_ **at the beginning of the plot. Well, I do have to develop the characters and Isana/Sakura into the world of Monster, so it's worth it for good/believable character development. Anyway, this chapter is a recap of chapters four through eight from Johan's perspective. Enjoy!**

 **RimK10: Thanks for the review! Sorry for the long update. You'll get your answer in this chapter. As for Lunge still considering Sakura killing them even though she didn't... Maybe. He'll probably consider her an accomplice of Dr. Tenma since the doctor is the main suspect.)**

* * *

A Monster's Interests

The first time he heard her voice was when she was reading a passage of 'Beauty and the Beast' to his sleeping form. He wondered whether she knew if he was awake or not, but that didn't stop her from reading to him once a day.

The only time she ever talked about herself was when Dr. Tenma was having a conversation with her while doing his usual checkups on him. And even so, she never really said much about herself in particular. Just random stories about her school life, even then, she didn't really sound all that enthusiastic about it.

Johan, pretending to be the unconscious, hospitalized boy, often wondered why she kept her personal life such a secret, even from Dr. Tenma, who he's heard was the closest person to her, aside from her parents.

Whenever she talked to people she always sounded stiff and dispassionate. It's only when she's speaking to Dr. Tenma or reading to him that there was genuine emotion in her voice.

The little boy remembered all the fairytale stories she read to him while he was hospitalized. 'Cinderella', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Snow White', etc. But his favorite was 'Beauty and the Beast'.

It was the story that best described their situation at the moment. Isana was the naive, angelic girl taking care of a deviant monster. Unfortunately, unlike in the book, the monster doesn't have a heart of gold.

The first time he ever heard genuine feelings in Isana's voice was the day he escaped from the hospital. It was, honestly, the first time she talked about herself so personally. She talked about her old childhood friends with a sense of wistfulness and regret. Of course, being the mastermind that he was, he engraved the memory into his brain.

What's dangerous to Isana, was that Johan had found her most vulnerable weakness. And the monster was going to use this tiny piece of information to exploit her greatest fear.

There was one feature he'll _absolutely_ never forget about her. And that was her unusual bubblegum pink strands mixed in with her dark brown hair. He's never seen such a unique hair color. He had to admit, even he wondered if it was natural.

Over the years, Johan spent his time alternating between watching over his sister, Anna, and his newfound interest in Isana. Along with Anna and Dr. Tenma, Isana became one of the few people he refuses to kill, albeit for different reasons altogether. At least, not until he sees her fall into hopelessness and despair.

The only question was… How can make that happen? How can he make her weakness, her fear become a reality?

It was easy to track down her movements. After the horrendous incident at the Elsier Memorial Hospital, Isana's parents decided to move to Munster out of fear for their daughter's safety.

It was admirable of them, but also very, very foolish. Do they think a change of scenery would keep her safe?

He watched as she finished her last years of high school as he himself was being tutored in Latin and French. She was very intelligent, always made the top of her classes. Not that he would expect anything less, she was a very bright girl.

She never actively looked for friends, yet she didn't discourage herself from having friends either. She entered Munster University with hopes of becoming a doctor. During her time she made some friends by the names of Amelie Weber and Laura Freeman.

Little did she know that they were merely pawns hired by the blond to spy on her from the inside. They were so easy to manipulate. He just flashed them with the promise of two thousand marks for updating any information on Isana Blum and they were putty in his hands. Like hungry dogs panting after a bone their master waves in their face.

Johan had other business to attend to, so he left Isana in their care. They weren't going to do anything to her, expect be friendly with her and send any new information they have on her to him.

Apparently, one of the monster's underlings was under suspicion of the police, so the blond man needed to rid of them before the police link their activities to him.

When he was executing Junkers and his cronies, Johan was never expecting to be reunited with Dr. Tenma so soon.

The good ol' doctor was still as naive and kind as he was nine years ago. He desperately tried to plead to the monster's 'humanity' to spare Junkers's life as he was getting ready to run a bullet through the lock pick's head.

Johan merely chuckled in cold amusement as the doctor explained to him about his philosophy on how all human life is equal, and giving thanks to Johan for showing him that.

The monster simply laughed at the notion. _"Oh, my dear Dr. Tenma,"_ he thought, wryly. _"Don't you realize how foolish you sound?"_

It was easy for Johan to shatter the naive doctor's worldview. With some sweet yet poisonous words, words that slithered around the doctor's conscious, wrapping around his neck like a venomous snake playing with its food before devouring it, the blond man managed to break the doctor's idealized view of him and the world.

The final nail on the head was when the monster told him he killed his superiors to show his 'gratitude' towards the doctor for saving his life. The look of absolute shock and terror on Dr. Tenma's face was completely delightful. Human fear always fascinated the monster inside. He just couldn't get enough of seeing the hopelessness and despair on a person's face moments before they take their own life.

However, Johan, knew the doctor was stronger than that. A few pretty and cultivated words weren't enough to take him down.

The blond simply shot Junkers's down without hesitation. Good riddance. He served his purpose anyway.

The monster left the shell shocked doctor alone in the abandoned building.

It's been over a year since he last 'visited' Isana. He has gotten certain messages from Laura and Amelie about what types of flowers she likes, the clothes she likes the wear, and the places she likes to go. All that information was completely useless. He knew all that already.

Although, lately, they've been trying to set her up on blind dates, figuring out what type of guys she's interested in. And so far, all have failed to meet her expectations. Hmm, a blind date, huh? That could be an interesting way for Johan to get reacquainted with Isana.

After watching over his sister for a few days as she lived with the Fortners in Heidelberg and sending her a message that they will be reunited very soon, he returned to Munster to formally introduce himself to Isana.

Honestly, Isana has been the only girl, besides his baby sister, that has ever caught the monster's interest. The image of her face contorted into anger and concern at the fact that she witnessed him and his sister being used as objects to boost the hospital's public face was etched into his brain. It was one of the few reasons she has caught the monster's attention. She's not like all the others out there.

It was easy enough to set up a date with her because her 'friends' were still actively trying to hook her up with the perfect boyfriend.

When Johan meets up with Isana for their date, she's still as beautiful as he remembered her to be. He knew exactly what he needed to do on this 'date'. Win Isana's trust.

Winning a person's trust was the ultimate way to send them down the path of self destruction. Gaining their faith was the sure-fire method for them to open up to him. Afterwards, they'll tell him about their pasts and their deepest, darkest secrets, which he'll later exploit to turn them into empty shells of their former selves to be used and discarded to fit his needs.

What he didn't count for was how reluctant Isana was to open up. After seeing his charming smile and charismatic attitude most people up open right away, feeling safe and secure with him. It was human nature to cling to someone who offers a person a bit of support.

Oh, well… What's a little challenge. Should be fun playing this game with Isana. He would win her over eventually and then corrupt her without her ever realizing she was caught in the monster's crippling web of demoralizing deception.

There's one thing Johan gained from their date was that he knew something happened in Isana's past. Something he could use to utterly destroy her.

The monster later found out the reason for her despair was because of the deaths of her two friends. However, when she showed him the picture she drew of them, many questions rose in his head. What are these headbands they are wearing? What is this Leaf symbol? Were they in some kind of organization? Or was it an insignia of some sort of school club? And if so, what school did they all attend?

For first time, Johan was completely lost. Isana becoming more of an enigma than perhaps even himself. This would call for some serious investigating.

He was half surprised when Isana cancelled their second date of the blue like that. And here he was, subtly hoping to drill more information out of her. When he asked why, she was extremely hesitant to answer. Though, the monster knew it had something to do with her deceased friends. The only time she is ever indecisive to answer is when it's something related to her past or her former friends.

Oh, well… This could work in his favor. He could send someone to break into her house while she's away and steal the drawing of her and her friends.

And about Laura and Amelie… Their purpose is over. He was at first planning to gun them down, or paying someone to assassinate them. But the monster thought of a better idea. Why not have Isana do it?

Johan wondered how the thought of betrayal would affect Isana? Would she kill them out of self defense to save her own life? Or would she end up dying by their hands? Either way would suit to his satisfaction. Although, he would prefer the former rather than the latter. He wouldn't want her to die just yet. Not until her mind crumbles and breaks out of distressing depression and soul shattering anguish.

In the end, neither option happened. Apparently, Isana was able to immobilize both Laura and Amelie without resorting to killing them. And amazingly, she was able to do it with a non-fatal surgical needle. He has never heard of anyone using surgical needles in that particular way before. It seems that Isana knows more about the medical field than she lets on. Her genius could be on par or even better than Dr. Tenma's. Not even Dr. Tenma knows how and where to strike a pressure point to induce the appropriate effect.

Johan got rid of Laura and Amelie himself. He simply offered the nurse at the reception two wrapped gifts that contained boxes of poisoned candy, and told her they were gifts for the two girls.

As Johan was traveling to Frankfurt in his private car, he unfolded the drawing he stole from Isana's house. A faint smile of amusement graced his lips.

Isana Blum… She really is a mystery.

He was going to enjoy breaking her.

* * *

 **(A/N: That's the end of chapter ten of 'Above and Beyond a Monster and Love'! Hoped you enjoyed it! Wow, Johan is** _ **super**_ **scary. Although, I hope I didn't OOC him. I wanted to keep his personality intact, but also wanted to showcase his interest/attraction towards Isana [Sakura]. But we all know, at least those of us who's watched Monster, never let Johan take an interest in you. That's just begging to receive a fate worse than death. Too bad Isana doesn't know this yet. Johan is seriously one depraved motherfucker. But we all love him, don't we? He's such a great villain. I wonder what he plans to do to break Isana? We'll find out later.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and leave any comments, suggestions, or questions you have in a review!)**


	11. Ghost of a Fire

**(A/N: Here's chapter eleven of 'Above and Beyond a Monster and Love'! This chapter will focus on Nina Fortner. Enjoy!**

 **RimK10: Thanks! I really enjoy your review! I was actually quite nervous to post the chapter. It's hard to comprehend what goes on in someone like Johan's head. And I don't want to know! Not going to make myself crazy trying to pry into the monster's head. And about Isana's drawings... I'm not much of an artist. Hell, I barely know the finer details of art, just the basics. So I'll simply say that Isana's drawings are just sketches first drawn with pencil then colored in with colored pencils. Hoped this is enough information, I'm not much of an expert in art. And there weren't any pictures of Isana's other ninja friends and Konoha because she didn't draw them in that particular sketchpad. But she has them somewhere. Don't worry about that. The reason only the picture of Team Seven was stolen because a] that's the only drawings Johan saw and b] he wasn't the one who stole it. One of his henchmen did. Meaning, he's unaware at the moment of Ino or Tsunade or the Leaf Village in general. And by this point, I believe he'll mark it off as a fictional world Isana drew out of boredom or something. So, he'll have no interest in looking through her other pictures, just the one of Team Seven is all he needs. Hope my explanation is good enough as you continue to enjoy the story!** **)**

* * *

Ghost of a Fire

A woman with long blonde hair wearing a revealing blue dress entered a club by the name of Candy. She took a seat at the bar, ignoring the lustful stares she was receiving from the men.

"You're an unfamiliar face," one man spoke.

"Get yourself a permit, if you're looking to do business here," the man next to the blonde woman sneered. "Last thing I need is an unlicensed hooker."

"Can't make as much cash when you're legal," the blonde replied, casually lighting up a cigarette. She smoothly exhaled a puff of smoke into the air.

"Ha! Yeah, good luck with that."

"I just need permission from him, don't I? Let me meet him."

"Sorry. I...got no idea what you mean." It was obvious the man was lying, by the hesitance in his voice.

"I'll just keep coming back until I meet him." She held the cigarette in between her fingers. "Until I meet the Baby," Nina announced with determination.

* * *

"You don't give up, do you?"

Nina glanced at the man speaking to her. He was tall and kind of skinny with short, brown hair.

"You know, you're starting to become a regular here."

It's true… This is the fourth time she came here in the past few days.

"How about I rent you for an hour or two, so the night isn't a total waste." He eyed her body lustfully as his hand reached towards her rear. She promptly smacked the lecherous hand away.

"You're the one who said I'll get in trouble if I did business without the Baby's permission," Nina answered, disdainfully.

Quickly getting infuriated by her condescending attitude, the man angrily grabbed a fistful of her hair, causing a small moan of pain to escape from the woman's lips.

"Isn't it a bit pathetic for a man to hit a defenseless lady?"

All eyes turned to the person who spoke up. It turned out to be a woman with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. The left side of her bangs were pulled back with a black hairclip. Her lips were covered in ruby red lipstick. She wore a low cut, lime green crop top with elbow length sleeves, which stopped above her waist, showing off her slim midriff and a short, red skirt that showed off her sexy, long legs, and a pair of black stiletto heels adorning her feet.

"What's a dumb prostitute like you going to do about it?" the man sneered.

She promptly grabbed his arm and flipped him over. He landed on his back, hard, the air being knocked out his lungs. The other occupants in the room snickered at the winded man's pain.

The woman turned towards Nina, smiling at her. "Sorry about that. The men around here can be such pig heads."

Nina remained quiet as she watched her order a mango orange margarita. When her order came, she took small sip.

"The name's Sakura Haruno."

"Sakura Haruno?" Nina spoke out, slowly, testing the name out on her tongue. "I'm guessing you're Japanese then."

The woman, now named Sakura, merely shrugged. "I guess you could say that…" She fully turned towards the girl, placing a hand under her chin with her elbow on table. "So you are looking for a person named Baby, huh?"

The blue eyed woman brows furrowed. "Do you know where he is?"

Sakura slowly took another sip of her drink. "No, not really. But I'm curious though, why are you so fixated on the Baby?"

Nina's posture took a defensive stance. "I believe that's my business."

The other woman waved her hand slightly in an apologetic manner. "No need to defensive. It was just an innocent question."

She straightened up. "What brings you here, Sakura? You don't look like an ordinary hooker."

"That's because I'm _not_ ," the green eyed woman bit back. She took a deep breath to cool herself down. "Sorry… Heh! Men would do anything for a chance to get laid. It's just easier to dress like a prostitute when you want information," she finished, glancing at Nina's dress in a knowing manner.

"Information?" Nina questioned, eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and suspicion. "Information for what?"

"Oh, just some research," Sakura replied, nonchalantly.

Just then a group of men approached Nina.

"Are you the girl who keeps asking to see the Baby?" a black haired man asked Nina, promptly ignoring Sakura.

A flicker of determination crossed her blue eyes. "Yes, I am. Are you going to take me to him?"

"Yes. Follow me."

The men walked into what looked like the back of the pub where another door leading into the second room was located. Nina followed closely behind them.

"Hey!"

She stopped in her tracks, turning to face Sakura.

"I never got your name!"

Nina paused for a moment, contemplating on whether or not to give the strange woman her name. "It's Nina. Nina Fortner." With that, she left through the door.

* * *

As Nina was waiting for the Baby, her thoughts were on Sakura. Just who was she?

She was no ordinary woman. Everything about her screamed danger. Not in the sense of 'I'll murder you', like her brother, Johan, but in the 'don't mess with me' variety.

Research? Sakura said she was here to do research, but for what? Was she working with her brother?

That's what made the woman so suspicious in Nina's eyes, by how secretive she was. And it almost felt like she was trying to drill _her_ for information.

The blonde woman wondered what would she do, if their paths ever crossed again.

The door opened to reveal a short, blond man. Looks like her worries about Sakura would have to wait

Time to get to business!

* * *

Nina was led into the Baby's mansion. It was obvious that she was in the Neo-Nazis headquarters. After a conversation with Gunther Goedelitz, Nina was ordered to stay in a room on the second floor.

As she awaited the arrival of her twin brother, the blonde woman pondered over Goedelitz's foolish plans to make Johan the next Hitler. She almost felt sorry for him.

Doesn't he realize how deluded his plans were? Johan has no interest in becoming their puppet. He's a depraved monster. A monster who stomps, crushes, and tramples over humanity under their cold, malicious, iron grip.

A loud banging sound broke her out of her musings. Curiosity getting the best of her, Nina decided to investigate.

Making sure the coast was clear, the blonde stalked towards the third room on her left. She cautiously peeked inside to see no one in there and entered. It turned out to be the restroom.

The banging was getting louder. Nina leaned over to hear that was coming from the second, most likely from a room right below her.

"H-Hello?" she greeted, hesitantly.

"Help," a voice wheezed out in reply.

"Who are you?"

"Help!" The voice got louder, more desperate. Nina quickly concluded that it was a woman's. And by her accent, she was Turkish. "Help! They're going to kill me!"

A grim expression crossed the blonde's face. "But… I must stay here."

"If I don't get out of here, my baby will die!" the Turkish woman sobbed. "I heard them talking! They are going to destroy the Turkish part of town!" A look of pure shock appeared on Nina's face from the hellish revelation.

This organization was planning a genocide against the Turks? They really are corrupt!

Johan was going to have to wait. Stopping a massacre was more important.

"I'll go into town and warn the Turks," Nina promised the hysterical woman.

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you!"

The blonde woman could actually hear the woman's cries of relief. It made her heart swell, but only for a split second, because at that moment, a sputtering, disturbing gurgling sound was heard.

Nina started to panic. "Hello? Hello?!" Rage and horror spread across her face. She knew the Turkish woman was killed at that moment.

The blonde woman had to escape. Taking out the handgun she kept under the skirt of her dress, she marched through the halls with raw determination and cautiousness.

However, to her surprise and terror, all the people, Goedelitz and his men, were already dead. A clean gunshot wound in each of their heads. She had to wonder who murdered them all. But now was not the time to dwell on it.

She had to save the Turks!

* * *

It was easier than she thought for Nina to threatened the Baby for the information on the destruction of the Turkish part of town. Even though she came seconds away from puncturing his head full of holes.

After helping to evacuate the Turks, she met up with a little boy named Dieter and a short man named by the name of Otto Heckel.

By the way Heckel was talking, the Turkish people were not out of the woods yet. This was just the beginning of the Neo-Nazis plans. They were planning a much, _much_ bigger fire that would wipe out the Turks in one fell swoop.

Nina, along with Dieter, managed pry the information out of Heckel, even though he was reluctant to give it up. It seemed that he also disliked the Turks. Fortunately, not enough to actively want them dead.

The short man led them into an abandoned warehouse.

"There's enough gasoline here to make the town go up in flames in an instant," Heckel explained.

Stepping inside the building, the smell of gasoline waft into their noses, causing them to crinkle in disgust. A trail of oil lead to tons of barrels obviously filled with what was going to be usied to destroy the town. At the end of the trail, stood a tall, brown haired man. Judging by his facial expression, he was visibly deranged.

When he held up a lighter, Nina instinctively pointed her gun at him. "Drop that lighter!" she threatened him, gun cocked and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

A twisted smile spread across the man's face. "With this, the town would be released from its impurities." He flicked the lighter open.

"Drop it!" the blonde screeched even louder, her voice getting fiercer and angrier to hide the anxiety rising through her. "Or I'll shoot!"

"Can you?" the man simply sneered at her.

"I trained in how to use a gun. From this distance, I could shoot you even before that lighter touches the ground," Nina promised him, both hands on the gun now. "Dieter!" The startled German boy glanced up at her. "Close your eyes and cover your ears. I don't want you to see what I'm about to do. You should _never_ do what I'm about to do right now!"

Before the shocked boy could reply, the man suddenly collapsed with a loud 'thud' as his limp body fell to the ground.

Nina, Dieter, and Heckel simply stood there flabbergasted, as they couldn't comprehend what happened. One minute he was threatening to destroy the Turkish part of town, and the next he's lying on the oil covered ground seemingly dead.

"What the hell just happened?" Heckel voiced his disbelief. "Is he dead?"

Pocketing her gun away, Nina slowly stalked toward the man's fallen form to see there was a needle protruding from his neck. She checked his pulse to find that he had none. He was dead.

By how? Just from a simple needle? It couldn't be possible, could it?

Blue eyes glanced around frantically to see if she could find the culprit. She managed to spot of strands of what seemed like...pink hair?!

"Who are you?!" Nina pointed her gun at the intruder, but they merely walked away. "Wait!" Determined not to let the suspect get away, the blonde tried to follow them, ignoring Dieter's and Heckel's confused calls.

However, she couldn't find the person who killed the man as they simply vanished without a trace. Nina let out a breathless sigh as she lowered her gun down, only one thing crossing her mind.

Why did that person's pink hair give her a sense of nostalgia? As if she knew deep down inside that she met the person before. The same feeling of deja vu of when she met Dr. Tenma for the first time.

 _Why_?

* * *

 **(A/N: That's the end of chapter eleven of 'Above and Beyond a Monster and Love'! I hoped you enjoyed it! If you've seen the manga/anime, you can tell I skipped most of the parts and just kept the significant ones, like the Turkish woman warning Nina of the destruction of the Turks [even that part felt shorter though compared to original manga/anime, but it still got the point across]. I just felt like I shouldn't do a rewrite, if Isana isn't involved. If you want the full story simply watch the anime or read the manga.**

 **Anyway, I just discovered two things. One, that Dr. Tenma is younger than I thought. I thought he was in his mid forties, but he's actually in his late thirties, which means my age gap between Dr. Tenma and Isana from earlier is wrong. He's not eighteen years older than her, but more like twelve or thirteen. Just a little over a decade older than her. And two, that the series Monster takes the course of two or three years [when you get to the main plot]. Meaning Johan is nineteen when he reunites with Dr. Tenma, confessing the middle aged couples murders, I mean. Twenty when he tries to reunite with his twin sister, Anna, and according to this story, visits Isana. Twenty one in the whole Schuwald fiasco. And finally twenty three by the time of the Ruhenheim massacre. I'm not counting his age at the very** _ **end**_ **of the manga/anime because it's never stated how many years passed since he was in a coma for a second time. It's interesting to know all these tiny details. And don't be surprise when Isana's age changes throughout the story. It should heavily imply that a year or some years have passed since the start of it.**

 **Oh, if you don't know who Sakura is... I don't know what to say. Either you haven't watched Naruto or you haven't been reading/paying attention to the story.**

 **The next chapter would put the focus back on Isana. The only problem should I go straight into the Munich arc or have some...day to day adventures, for lack of better word [can't say day to day lifestyle since Isana has joined in on the hunt], before heading into the whole fiasco with Schuwald. I'll think about it. You'll have the answer in the next chapter...when it comes out of course.**

 **Anyway, leave any comments, suggestions, and questions in a review! I'll love to see all your wonderful feedback! Goodbye!)**


	12. Retrack

**(A/N: Here's chapter twelve! I've decided to focus on Isana for the next three or four chapters, then on Dr. Tenma, and finally head into the Munich arc. Well, enjoy!**

 **Santa Socks: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I wish there were more Monster/Naruto crossovers.**

 **RimK10: Thanks for a reviewing the last chapter! About future OCs... Don't worry, when OCs are introduced, they are going to be more fleshed out than the last two. But whether they will stay alive till the very end, even if they become good friends with Isana [and _few_ becoming recurring characters and not one-shots], well... Maybe, maybe not. **

**And also thanks for the information! I was going to going to incorporate Isana using and creating medicines and drugs. She was a medical ninja, after all. Only problem, I never had the patients to do research. And it's not like the creator of 'Monster' did his study on Germany himself. Well, he did...minuscule and superficial analysis. He mostly just looked at a few pictures of Germany and...boom! The complex and outstanding, yet under hyped series called 'Monster' is just that good and realistic with almost no research whatsoever. Wow! Just... _wow!_**

 **And I also just now realize how _truly_ scary Johan is. Monster takes place in a real life country in a real life setting with _real_ historic facts and psychological experiments. Do you now see what I mean. Imagine the chances of a _real life Johan_ existing once?! Now, that is _truly terrifying_!**

 **Okay, enough scare theories... On to the story!)**

* * *

Retract

Isana let out a drawn out sigh. "What a day," she muttered exhaustedly as she entered the hotel room she was currently renting. She hung up her apron on the rack by the door as she headed into the kitchen to fix herself something for dinner.

After the incident with her fake friends, the pinkish-brown haired woman decided to embark on her own adventure. Guess that betrayal triggered something inside her as she was trying to find reasons for why she was targeted. She did, however, manage to forcibly pry the information out of Laura's pathetic mouth after she witnessed Amelie's brutal beatdown. She said they were paid to do it by a blond haired man with a beautiful face.

There was only one person she knew that blond hair… And that was Johan Liebert. The boy she read to while he was in a coma almost a decade ago. The boy who grow up to be a well dressed, intellectual man who took her on a date that didn't leave her angry and annoyed. The _first_ good date she had.

She sighed. Should've known it was too good to be true.

But why? Why would he want her dead?

It's been over half a year since the incident. Johan really knows how to cover his tracks. She'll give him credit for that. If only the twenty-five year old woman had the nose of an Inuzuka, then he wouldn't be so hard to find.

Or she could be wrong. Maybe she was just being paranoid and over thinking things. She has been awfully negative lately. There are plenty of men with blond hair and a...face. It could have been the attack of some random assassin for all she knows. She couldn't rule out any possibility.

That's what Isana is trying to find out. She was trying to track down her attempted murderer. The pinkish-brown haired woman wasn't going to run away! She's a former kunoichi of Konoha, dammit! She'd take challenges like this head on and overcome them.

However, for now, Johan Liebert is her only lead.

Another reason for the pinkish-brown woman's travels was to uncover any connections between this world and her old world. Why was she reincarnated? And into this world, no less?

People could call her a delusional freak or whatever for trying to discover something that's _absolutely_ impossible by the laws of this world. But they are ignorant of the pain and loneliness she's going through by leaving her friends behind. Just… Just finding out of if this world is some sort of alternate universe where the creation of chakra was avoided somehow would be enough to give her some sort of closure. Maybe then, she'd believe another version of Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Tsunade, Ino, and all her friends are out there somewhere. Living normal, ordinary lives without pain, agony, or suffering.

Isana laughed bitterly at her pitifulness. How pathetic could she get? After all this time, she _still_ couldn't get over her 'death'? Oh, if anyone could see how bitter and lonely she is, their eyes would either fill with pity or mockery.

No, the _real_ reasons for her travels was simply because she was bored. Utterly and completely bored. The pinkish-brown haired woman wanted to see what this world had to offer. And perhaps along the way, she could recreate some medicines and enhancement drugs from her old ninja life. She _was_ a medical ninja, after all. Shouldn't be impossible to find similar ingredients. Difficult, but not impossible. She was trained by the number one medical ninja in the Shinobi World, Tsunade Senju.

All her travels lead Isana to her current location in a local, cheap hotel located in Stuttgart.

As Isana began preparing a plate of spagetti, her thoughts went back to her attempted murder. She honestly couldn't be sure if it was Johan who hired Laura and Amelie to assassinate her. A man with blond hair and a beautiful face is a very vague description. However, being the formerly, highly trained ninja that she was, she wasn't foolish enough to rule out the possibility. She always had her suspicions ever since the twins' sudden disappearance after the mysterious deaths of the Director of Eisler Memorial Hospital and two of Dr. Tenma's colleagues. Although, Isana never actually cared. Those three were assholes!

Speaking of Dr. Tenma, Isana wondered how he was doing. Was he finally promoted to Chief of Surgery? Did he finally settle down with a nice and generous woman and began building a family of his own?

"He's a nice doctor, too. It'll be good for him to have a caring wife and loving children that he could spoil senselessly," Isana mused.

Her spaghetti seemed to be done cooking, she took out a plate and poured the noodles on top.

The medicines of this world were not as advanced as the ones in Ninja World. Guess the lack of chakra slows the progress of fundamental technology. Instead most of their resources are focused more on military purposes and building more powerful, destructive weapons.

Isana chewed on several noodle strips, her face scrunched up in disappointment. Don't they know medical resources and advancements are just as important? Who would heal their soldiers, if all their medics are incompetent?

She scoffed, scornfully. _"Not that they would care anyways as long as they get paid."_

The pinkish-brown haired woman finished the rest of her dinner. Afterwards, she threw the empty plate in the sink and headed to her bedroom. She'll wash it later.

Isana entered her room. After quickly changing into a simple pink nightgown, she opened a wooden desk located in the upper right corner of the room. She took out a sketchpad and a pencil. She flipped the pad over until it landed on a blank page.

" _Hmm, what should I draw next?"_ the former kunoichi pondered to herself as she tapped the pencil against her chin, thoughtfully.

She decided to draw the time she first met Naruto.

(FLASHBACK)

 _A seven year old, pink haired, little girl was stopping by the grocery to pick up some supplies for her mother's dinner. Although, it took some convincing to let her go to a store that was no more than a few blocks away from her house._

 _Holding the bag full of groceries in her tiny hands, Sakura started to make her way home._

" _Get out of here, you demon brat!"_

 _Hearing a grown man's furious yells, the pinklette turned to her left to see a spiky, blond haired boy about her age being kicked out of an antic mask shop._

 _She paused, freezing her tracks. She knows that boy! The sunny blond hair and the whisker marks were a dead giveaway. He was the boy her parents warned her not to talk to. The obnoxious troublemaker._

 _Well, the pink haired girl's parents never gave her a_ real _reason to avoid the boy,. They merely just told her not to associate herself with the boy, so she simply just took it as him being a big troublemaker._

 _However, seeing the look of hurt and rejection on his face as he was kicked out of the shop, although brief, was...saddening to say the least._

 _The boy simple huffed, angrily, getting up on his feet, and dusted off the dirt out of his clothes. "Stupid, old man," he grumbled under his breath. "All I was doing was simply looking."_

" _Um, excuse me."_

 _The startled boy almost jumped at the unexpected, almost shy voice. He quickly turned to be met face to face with a pink-haired little girl._

 _She held out something for him, refusing to make eye contact._

" _Huh?" The blond boy was confused. Why was she talking to him?_

 _When she glanced at him, the first thing he noticed was that she had really pretty eyes. They were a bright green color, almost the color of emerald diamonds._

" _This is a donut." The girl's soft, shy voice broke the boy out of his thoughts. "I'm giving this to you."_

" _Uh, thanks," the blond said, dumbly, a small blush grace her cheeks as he gently took the glazed pastry from her hands._

" _Don't get into anymore trouble, okay?" the pink haired child spoke, trying to sound stern and serious, but it came out very timid and bashful._

 _She ran off quickly, not waiting to hear the boy's response. She had to get home before her parents start to freak out on her taking so long. And if her mom asks why a donut was missing, she'll just simply say she ate it._

(END OF FLASHBACK)

Isana sighed blissfully as the age-old memory replayed in her mind. She began working on drawing that memory on the sketchpad.

* * *

"Isana!"

The pinkish-brown haired woman turned to the person calling her. It was the cook, handing her a plate of what looked like beef stir fry topped off with parsley and some nuts. He was a somewhat chubby man in his earlier fifties with medium-length, black hair, although some patches of gray were showing, and he had some stupples under his chin.

"Take this order to table number two," he spoke in a very deep and gruff voice.

"Yes, Mr. Kimsley."

Jacob Kimsley was the owner and chief of this small cafe that Isana was temporarily working at. He stated once before that he started his business here for almost twenty years now, and he was generous enough to allow her work. Although, it came out as a perverse joke saying she'll attract more customers in his, otherwise, slow and almost vacant diner. Fanservice, much.

Not that it was a bad thing. After all, the more customers that come in, the more money the cafe gets, and the more she gets paid to use the money on her travels.

Being a waitress here wasn't so bad either. The locals around here were awfully nice. And the city was quiet and had that unique, prominent fragrance to it.

It almost made Isana want to stay and start a life here. _Almost._

* * *

The cafe was now closed and Isana was busy cleaning the tables while Kimsley was washing the dirty dishes.

"It sure has been busy since you started working here, Isana," Kimsley said, letting out a boisterous laugh.

Isana let a small smile graced her lips. "Glad I could help." She was done scrubbing the brown tables, so they were all spotless.

She had never told Kimsley the real reason she wanted to work for him. And now, the pinkish-brown haired woman decided now that she was in the man's good grace...it was a good a time as any to approach him with a question she always wanted to ask.

"Mr. Kimsley," Isana spoke, busying wringing the cloth dry.

"Hmm?" Kimsley made a small noise, indicating that he was listening.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" she asked, no sign of hesitation or vulnerability in her voice.

However, it was at that moment when Isana asked that dreadful and intrusive question, that everything seemed to come to a standstill.

* * *

 **(A/N: That's the end of chapter twelve! Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry, that it ended on a cliffhanger. And just when it was getting to the good part, too! Yes, the next couple of chapters will focus on Isana learning how to use a gun. By the way, I kinda feel like I'm being repetitive with Isana. I feel like I'm shoving her 'I was once Sakura Haruno' down my readers throat. I'm going to try toning it down a bit. I know I said I was going to focus on the psychological effects of reincarnation, but it'll lose its** _ **meaning**_ **if I keep repeating it over and over every time Isana's on screen. You know what I mean? It just that in manga/anime, Monster, one of the recurring themes is how names and a person's identity is** _ **everything**_ **! Basically, without knowing your** _ **true**_ **name, you are nothing more than a faceless human aimlessly walking around blindly on earth. So, I guess Isana faces the moral dilemma of should she look towards the future as 'Isana Blum' or stay in the past as 'Sakura Haruno'? It's all I'm saying, but I'm going to try to be a bit more subtle with it.**

 **Oh, and by the way, before I forget, Isana's flashback would sometimes heavily imply Naruto/Sakura/Sasuke moments. Normally, I don't do threesome pairings, but it's not like anything is coming out of it. For one, Sakura is obviously dead. And two, it's more of a 'more than friends, less than lovers' situation. They are just a really close knit family...at the time.**

 **Well, leave any comments, suggestions, or questions in a review! And see you next time!)**


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